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According to Federal Councilor Berset, individual cantons are doing little to prevent the threat of overcrowding in intensive care units.
At yesterday’s federal press conference, Virginie Masserey, head of the Infection Control Section of the Federal Office of Public Health, warned against the full use of intensive care units: if things continue like this, all beds IPS they will be busy in five days. It was based on forecasts from the federal government’s coordinated medical service, which records the occupancy of intensive care beds.
The Minister of Health does not agree
Alain Berset, Masserey’s top boss, openly doubts it today: “I don’t think we’ll get there in five days, to be honest.” He believes that the cantons and hospitals still have several options to avoid the full occupation of intensive care units or at least delay them.
To be honest, I don’t think we’ll be there in five days.
Include private hospitals
On the one hand, there is a need for better coordination between the cantons, notes the Federal Council, because not all are equally affected by the crown problem. On the other hand: “The cantons that have not yet addressed the capacities of private hospitals really have to.”
Cantons that have not yet addressed the capabilities of private hospitals really have to.
Western Switzerland as a Model for Elective Interventions
Yesterday, Berset, together with the president of the cantonal health directors, Lukas Engelberger, sent a letter to all the cantons. Radio SRF has received the letter.
It says: The cantons of western Switzerland have largely stopped non-urgent interventions, so-called elective interventions, and restricted outpatient treatment. That should not be limited to these cantons.
“What doesn’t work at all”
Berset estimates that just under a third of intensive care places are occupied by Covid patients. Another third of the beds are free. And in more than a third there would be patients who did not have Corona. Including those with elective non-vital interventions:
“What is not possible at all,” Berset said, is to protect such elections with all measures and consequences for society and the deployment of the army.
Defense Minister Viola Amherd also emphasized that cantons should refrain from interventions that are not essential for life. The army is ready to relieve cantonal hospitals with up to 2,500 soldiers. She added: “This explicitly includes that a canton postpones interventions that are not medically urgent before receiving soldiers.”
The H + hospital association wants to see the money first
The H + hospital association reacts surprised to the critical comments of the Federal Council. Coordination between the cantons is certainly good, says H + director Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer. But before hospitals refrain from elective interventions, a regulation must be established with the cantons on how the resulting losses would be covered.
“Hospitals need money to cope with the pandemic and to function. If you prohibit hospitals from operating by not occupying beds, but only reserving them, hospitals will make huge losses in addition to losses in spring and will not be able to make any contribution to overcoming the pandemic, ”said Bütikofer.
If hospitals are prohibited from operating by not occupying beds, but only reserving them, hospitals are suffering huge additional losses.
Now a national regulation is needed for this situation. When asked if there is still enough time for this, the director of H + says: “Of course, patient care must be guaranteed at all times.”
