Doctors and nurses stressed out

Doctors and nurses are beginning to show signs of fatigue after almost nine months of the pandemic and several hospitals are running out of beds to receive positive patients.

Domingo Moreno, coordinator of the National Negotiating Medical Commission, and Ana Reyes, president of the National Association of Nurses, expressed that there is a general exhaustion of personnel. There are doctors in intensive care units, he said, treating twice as many patients as before the pandemic.

“They can put more beds, but if there are no staff and supplies, the scenario can get complicated. The pandemic surprised us without intensive care physicians and pulmonologists, “he said.

There are only 30 pulmonologists in the country and a good part of them are working up to 16 hours a day.

Meanwhile, Serrano pointed out that rooms with 25 beds now have 40. “Many nurses once they finish their shifts go out to do swabs,” he said.