Austin Hospital infectious disease doctor Jason Trubiano described it as a silent pandemic.
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“We still have the same number of cases of COVID that we had during some of our biggest peaks and now we are starting to see an increase in flu presentations,” he said.
Crowded hospitals are giving way to even larger queues of patients waiting with paramedics, unable to overload the overwhelmed emergency services.
An unauthorized senior paramedic to speak to the media described the current state of the ambulance ramp as shocking, saying the number of patients forced to wait on bunk beds inside or outside the hospital had quadrupled over a year.
Among them, they said, were those who were seriously ill: people unconscious after a severe overdose, those who had seizures or strokes, and patients with heart attacks who had to be seen and treated immediately by a cardiologist.
“Your coronary artery must be opened for your heart to stop dying,” they said.
The paramedic joined other members of senior health personnel in urging the federal and state governments to work together urgently to begin relocating patients awaiting a nursing home or support for the National Health Plan. Disability Insurance (NDIS).
“There are literally hundreds of them [of patients] in Melbourne who are occupying beds in which they do not need to be. If we move them today, we will start flowing. “
Victoria’s public hospitals are run by the state government, but NDIS and care for the elderly are largely the responsibility of the federal government, which did not respond to a request for comment.
A Victorian government spokesman said pressure on hospitals was expected to increase over the winter due to rising flu numbers and ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.
At Austin Hospital, up to 50 patients with COVID-19 are in the wards on a given day. The hospital also reports between 15 and 20 new flu patients a day.
Many patients with hospitalized coronaviruses are elderly or have underlying health problems. A small number had not been vaccinated or had not yet received the third dose.
A growing number of coronavirus patients were now being randomly diagnosed after arriving at hospitals for other illnesses and injuries.
Trubiano said most patients with COVID-19 were not seriously ill due to the effects of widespread vaccination. But their care was still complex and posed significant challenges, including the need to isolate them from other patients, as well as to provide early therapies such as antiviral treatments.
Putland said all hospitals desperately needed more beds before winter, but the difficulty would also be finding staff available to care for patients in those beds.
“It’s about somehow finding a couple of additional wards for each hospital,” he said. “We could do a couple of care rooms for the elderly to field long-term hospitalized patients so that we can transfer patients from the emergency room to the hospital. If we had 30 to 50 extra beds [at the Royal Melbourne Hospital] that would help a lot. “
Trubiano implored Victorians to get vaccinated against the flu to reduce the chances of them ending up in a flu emergency service. He also urged people to wear a face mask again, to distance themselves socially and to stay home when they are not feeling well.
An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said the red code escalation activated on Friday was resolved in about 30 minutes.
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Victorian Ambulance Union Secretary of State Danny Hill said he was hearing from members that coded oranges were now being declared two or three times a week, meaning the ambulance service could not meet the requests.
He said that when there was no crew available, as was the case for a period in Shepparton and Bendigo this week, “it is very likely that you will not get an ambulance or have one with a significant delay.”
With Nell Geraets.
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