With 86 people in an ICU in Groningen, care may have to be rationed
Hospitals in Groningen are doing their utmost to offer all Coronavirus patients a space in an Intensive Care Unit, but the situation is now starting to get really dire and the GGD can no longer rule out having to ration care if numbers increase. GGD director Jos Rietveld admitted that a system of triage may have to be used, where decisions will be made as to who can have an IC bed, reports the GIC.
The GGD director made the comments this morning during a press conference. Currently, according to figures from the Acute Care Network Northern Netherlands, there are 86 Coronavirus patients in Groningen hospitals; three more than Friday. The hospitals are currently able to treat them, but if numbers continue to rise they will struggle to handle more.
This is due to a two-pronged issue; ICs are almost full, but also staff are starting to become exhausted, and require time off.
And if there is no more place, and insufficient employees, the hospitals can no longer escape a triage situation, and “we have to choose who can and who cannot go to hospital”, says Rietveld.
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