Paris Hospitals Face Tough Choices Under Covid Pressure: Officials
Muhammad Irfan Published March 29, 2021 | 01:30 AM
Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Mar, 2021 ) :Paris hospitals are fast approaching saturation point because of snowballing Covid admissions and may be forced to turn patients away, top officials warned Sunday.
"There's a feeling of anger at finding oneself in a situation that will force you to do disaster medicine," said senior Paris hospitals official Remi Salomon.
"In 10 days, 15 days or three weeks we may be overwhelmed," he told the all-news channel BFMTV, pleading for a new lockdown, including for schools.
Also Sunday, 41 hospital crisis directors put their Names to an open letter saying: "We cannot remain silent without betraying the Hippocratic oath we once made." Published in the weekly Journal du Dimanche, the letter said they were preparing for decisions on which patients should be granted access to intensive care.
"This triage will concern all patients, Covid and non-Covid, in particular for adult patients' access to critical care," they wrote.
They said they had "never known such a situation, even during the worst (terror) attacks suffered in recent years." They noted that such selections had already begun, with hospitals being forced to postpone surgical procedures.
"These cancellations will intensify in the coming days, with only vital emergencies being spared soon," they warned.
Later Sunday, Health Minister Olivier Veran met with the crisis officials, saying he was "acutely aware of the impact on ICUs and wishes to keep them at their maximum to avoid more and more terrible choices for care providers," according to a member of his team.
The government may have to take "supplementary measures" soon, the source told AFP.
In the daily Le Monde, nine emergency room doctors demanded more accountability from the executive, writing in an op-ed: "By making care givers decide which patient should live and which patient should die, without stating it clearly, the government is shirking responsibility in a hypocritical way. It is time for the executive to clearly and publicly assume the health consequences of its political decisions." Salomon predicted in his BFMTV interview that pressure on hospitals will likely ease by May or June thanks to the vaccination drive, while adding that the third wave in France could be "the most violent... but probably the last".
The Paris regional health authority ARS asked hospitals to set a goal of making 2,200 beds available for Covid patients.
An earlier target of 1,800 beds is expected to be exceeded within days.
France counts a total of 27,712 Covid patients currently in hospital, of whom 1,017 were admitted Sunday.
In the past 24 hours, 131 patients died of Covid in hospital, compared with 194 over the previous 24 hours.
Overall Covid deaths in France total 94,623.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 27 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 27 April 2024
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Modern Education Techniques: A pathway to achieve economic development
1 day ago -
Kite Flying: From cultural festival to deadly sport
1 day ago -
PDMA predicts gusty wind, rain with thunder, hails
4 days ago -
Iranian president Raisi given guard of honour at PM House
5 days ago -
Intellectuals, writers accolades Naseer Mirza on his literary contribution
6 days ago -
Bahawalpur Adabi Sangat hosts memorable mushaira
6 days ago
-
Cattle farming vital to alleviate poverty in rural areas
6 days ago -
Pakistan: A land of tourism, archeological wonders
6 days ago -
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
8 days ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
12 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
13 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
13 days ago