Four of the fourteen theatres will be closed
The Martini Hospital in the south of Groningen will close a maximum of four of its fourteen operating rooms from next Monday. According to the hospital, this is necessary to accommodate the expected flow of Coronavirus patients. Appointments at outpatient clinics are still being received, digitally or in hospital.
According to the hospital, the number of patients admitted suffering from the Coronavirus is steadily increasing, and it is expected that this number will only increase further in the near future, especially if including patients from other parts of the country that may be sent to Groningen to relieve local pressure, reports the GIC.
The number of available beds is not the problem, says chairman of the board of the hospital, Hans Feenstra. The bottleneck mainly derives from the availability of staff. “We do not have enough people to provide care to more and more Coronavirus patients, and to continue regular care. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to look at where care can be postponed. ”
The hospital emphasises that its emergency care and oncology care will continue as usual, in the same was as during the first wave of the Coronavirus in March.
The Martini Hospital is deploying extra staff from its flex pool. This is necessary because some of the staff are temporarily unavailable due to Coronavirus-related complaints, or are waiting at home for the results of their tests.
At the same time, large groups of nurses, physician assistants and medical specialists are being trained in the latest Coronavirus care techniques, as part of preparation for the greater influx of patients.
