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– We need to focus on emergency and necessary care and therefore we will propose that planned and unnecessary care be canceled, said medical and health director Björn Eriksson at a digital press conference.
The health and medical care committee made the decision on the proposal later Tuesday.
Sure, the care debt will increase, but patient safety should not compromise the region, he assures TT.
– People have to wait longer than usual.
This may mean that those who need, for example, a hip operation have to wait, even if their hip hurts.
TT: Have you had a choice?
– My duty now is to do everything possible to relieve and help the staff. We have to maintain quality and they have to last for weeks, months. So we have to be more, responds Björn Eriksson.
No choice
Johan Styrud, president of the Stockholm Medical Association, also does not see that there is anything to choose from in this situation. The pressure on care is so high and patients continue to flock.
– You are in a very precarious situation. There is no choice, he says.
Additionally, the region should only receive and send patients from other regions if care is urgent and necessary.
TT: Is it relevant to send patients for planned care to other regions, or even abroad?
– We have a constant exchange of patients with other regions. But it is not relevant to send patients abroad at this time.
Should bear
It is also irrelevant to activate the crisis agreement, which was applied to certain VAT personnel in Stockholm this spring, explains Johan Styrud:
– Not right now, it’s a big burden for our employees. It is very difficult to work like this and we need perseverance.
There are not enough margins, he explains. Therefore, additional medical personnel are needed for emergency care, and to obtain it, it is necessary to postpone planned care.
Patients affected by the decision receive information in person.
5,000 new cases
The need for care in Stockholm is historically high, according to Björn Eriksson. In the last four days, 5,096 new cases of covid-19 have been identified. A total of 818 people are being treated for the viral disease in one of the hospitals in the region, 50 more than last Friday.
Another 43 deaths have been reported since December 11.
The regional special healthcare administration went into boost mode on Monday and now healthcare is trying to shake up more places of care. All county emergency hospitals operate in a high state of emergency.
– It is a very serious situation, says Björn Eriksson.
The question is whether the region could have done something different to be able to face the second wave of the pandemic now.
– There are always reasons to be self-critical. But I have a hard time seeing this directly that we could have done something different. We knew we had a difficult care situation and we were preparing, but we didn’t know exactly what it would be like, she says.
The decision means that planned care (so-called elective care) that is not an emergency is canceled.
However, screening measures will continue. Care will also continue in special housing for the elderly.
The person who has planned the reserved care that it is canceled will be notified in person.
Anyone who does not get their care canceled should come as planned.
Source: Stockholm Region
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