ARCHIVED - A&E units struggle to cope in Cartagena as the annual flu epidemic begins

Understaffing blamed as patients await beds in corridors at the Santa Lucía hospital

The onset of colder weather over the latter part of the festive season and its continuation during the first ten days of January are bringing about the first signs of the kind of flu epidemic which causes overcrowding and long waits in hospital A&E units almost every winter in the Region of Murcia, and this week it is reported that the situation is nearing one of collapse in the Hospital Santa Lucía in Cartagena.

By Wednesday the regional press were reporting that up to 70 patients were forced to wait to be admitted to wards in consulting rooms, waiting rooms and even in corridors, after the number of people requiring attention started to climb on Monday, Three Kings Day. Staff resources appeared to be stretched to the limit and areas of the hospital which are not normally used were opened up to accommodate the large numbers of patients as the A&E unit dealt with 523 people during the day, as opposed to an average during the previous week of around 360.

At the same time, other units in the hospital such as Pneumology, Neurology and Cardiology were instructed to discharge patients if at all possible in order to free up resources, although surgery remained unaffected and no operations were postponed.

In the light of these developments the Town Hall of Cartagena has demanded that the Health department of the regional government provide reinforcements to the primary health care staff during the first six months of this year in order to avoid any worsening of the problem, with councillor Mercedes García highlighting what she describes as a need for better planning. Pointing out that there is almost always a flu epidemic at this time of year, she claims that it is “unacceptable” that such reinforcements are not provided to cover for medical staff taking holidays or sick leave.

Last winter around 20,000 cases of flu were diagnosed in the Region, only half the figure for the year before, and 57 patients died from flu-related complications to already existing conditions. In this context it is worth remembering that flu vaccinations are still available at public health centres throughout Murcia and can also be purchased over the counter at pharmacies for just a few euros.

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