Personal protective equipment has to be begged. Many doctors refuse to work without them. In Britain, meanwhile, a growing number of deaths that are not recorded.
About this in a commentary to the publication “The Guardian” told paramedics whose names are not disclosed.
The medical assistant from the eastern part of the country says that he is increasingly facing deaths at home. Many infected with COVID-19 remain on self-isolation. However, it can be dangerous for people with chronic diseases. And if death from a coronavirus occurs at home, then it is simply not recorded.
As an example, a physician leads a visit to one patient who died in self-isolation. Given his health status, he was at risk. Moreover, everything indicated that he had become infected with the coronavirus. But his death did not fall into the statistics of deaths from COVID-19, since the patient did not pass the test.
The medic also complained of a lack of remedies. According to him, sometimes they “have to beg,” and sometimes work without them at all.
“The service has reduced health workers and increased the number of ambulances. Instead of having two paramedics in the ambulance, you have one and a fireman or volunteer as a driver”, – says a paramedic who works in the British capital.
The rules of the ambulance are constantly changing. Once, the administration even obliged doctors to fill out a lot of papers when leaving for a patient with coronavirus. In the very first days of the epidemic, cars could not even go on a call – doctors were obliged to use masks that were not there.
“I encounter at least four or five cardiac arrests per week”, – a paramedic from the northwest of Britain comments on the situation. – This is at least three times more. The same is with my colleagues”.
According to him, the policy of work since pre-coronavirus times has not changed, because when an ambulance delivers a patient to the hospital, doctors discover that he has already passed away.
“We do not have enough protective equipment. We argue for weeks that this is unsafe for us. Some health workers refuse to treat patients if they do not have the appropriate funds”, -the specialist says.