Hospitals In Chile Start Running Out Of Beds For COVID-19 Patients

Illustrated photo (Adhy Savala / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The rate of increase in the number of positive COVID-19 patients in Chile is at a high rate. The number of cases, which increased fourfold from early May, is the cause. As a result, the availability of beds for hospital patients in Santiago, Chile is very limited.

This concern was expressed by medical personnel on duty at several local hospitals, Wednesday, May 27. The increasing number of positive cases of COVID-19 has panicked medical personnel. Because, in the future they will be forced to decide which patient will receive the last bed and who should wait.

The government had previously attempted to set up an emergency care unit due to the buildup of COVID-19 patients. Unfortunately, the emergency care unit is already 97 percent occupied. This means that the capacity is starting to be full, making medical personnel will be faced with a difficult decision.

"It is at this level that we are getting closer to a situation where we have to choose (the patient) is at hand," said a doctor at the Sotero del Rio General Hospital in Santiago, Juan Carlos.

Even so, policy owners do not remain silent. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera revealed that currently the government has been working hard to provide beds and medical equipment in the midst of the growing crisis. Not only that, he also appealed to Chileans to be calm.

"Our health care system, and in particular (Santiago), is very close to reaching its maximum capacity," said Pinera on Wednesday, May 27.

In line with the President. Health officials in Chile also asked people to calm down. According to them, beds and medical equipment are being prepared. To that end, the government requested military assistance in order to move some patients to be temporarily accommodated in the emergency care unit.

Not only that, Chile's Health Minister Jaime Manalich confirmed that the situation was getting worse. However, he believes that Chileans still have enough mechanical ventilators available to meet the healing needs of COVID-19 patients.

"We have not reached the debate about (who received) the last bed," said Manalich.

So far Chile has confirmed 82,289 cases of COVID-19 transmission. Among them, there were 841 cases died.