Covid-19: RO health authorities work to increase the number of ICU beds, point to staff shortages

Although efforts are made every day to increase the number of available intensive care beds, these are impacted by the number of available healthcare staff, health minister Vlad Voiculescu said, quoted by News.ro.

Romania has been reporting an increasing number of coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, while the number of patients admitted to intensive care units reached record highs. On March 22, 1,339 patients were admitted to intensive care units, slightly up from 1,334 patients the day before, according to the daily report.

"The limit is set by the staff. Matei Balş Hospital, one of the largest in the country treating Covid-19 patients, currently has staffing issues. They are waiting to receive staff from other hospitals. If they have issues, you can imagine that limitations exist all over the country. We have lost very many doctors, many nurses; they left the country, we did not appreciate them, and this is the main problem we are dealing with now," Voiculescu said.

He explained that furniture could be purchased but finding a doctor is a challenge.

"We can buy furniture, we can buy equipment, we can even erect buildings or use other constructions, but finding a doctor is a challenge. And another important thing. Any doctor we reassign from one section means less access to healthcare services for non-Covid patients. We cannot invent doctors; we cannot produce them today. They are a limited resource," he said.

Last week, the Health Ministry announced that 47 intensive care beds for grownups, four neonatal intensive care beds, and 140 intermediary therapy beds for Covid-19 patients would be added in Bucharest.

A total of 1,456 intensive care beds are currently available in the country, Health Ministry state secretary Andreea Moldovan said, quoted by Mediafax. Prime minister Florin Cîțu said at the end of last week that the number of intensive care beds in the country would increase to 1,600.

(Photo: Liviu Chirica/ Inquam Photos)