Hospitals in the Netherlands have already experienced enormous crowds in recent years, mainly caused by Covid-19. At the moment it is once again all hands on deck in various hospitals, but this time specifically in the children’s ICs due to the RS virus.
Károly Illy, of the Dutch Pediatric Association, says that the situation is currently worrying. “At the moment, everything must be done to ensure that children who are ill can be assigned a place. For the time being, that is working.”
Speed consultation
Illy says that tomorrow all seven university hospitals will meet for emergency consultations. “We saw this coming before Christmas, but now we have to be very alert. It is not yet clear whether and what additional measures we will take.”
In the worst case, this could involve transferring children to Belgium or Germany, as happened during the corona peak. And yet that is less obvious now, says Renzo Jongstra on behalf of the Association for Nurses and Caregivers.
“The hospitals in Belgium and Germany also do not have the capacity to admit Dutch children at the moment,” says Jongstra. “All 95 to 99 beds in the ICs in the Netherlands that are reserved for children are currently almost full.”
In the meantime, situations are already emerging that are far from desirable, says Jongstra. “Sometimes a child comes in that you actually no longer have room for. But you can’t send him away. Nurses then get extra beds under their care and make extra shifts. But that is not good for both the patient and the nurse. “
The RS virus can be extremely intense. Mary experienced this. You can see her story in this video from last year:
The university hospitals of Groningen, Leiden and Maastricht indicate to RTL News that there is not a single bed left for children in the ICU. There are a few beds available in Utrecht today, but last weekend it was also quite full there.
Joost Wessels, spokesperson for the UMC Groningen, says that his hospital has already increased the maximum number of beds from 16 to 20. “But those are also full again. And if one becomes available, it will be quickly filled again. That is very worrying. We are approaching the limit of our capacity.”
Measures taken
“We had taken the RS virus into account, because it has an impact every year around this time,” says Wessels. “But you never know how much impact it will have. This year it is a lot of children who have been affected.”
The pressure is also mounting in the university hospital in Maastricht. “All beds in the children’s ICU are full,” says spokesman Rik van Laake. “We have now canceled several non-emergency procedures for children.”
Extra beds are not an option in Maastricht. “The RS virus gives pressure every year, but because we also have to deal with a shortage of personnel, we simply cannot increase capacity.”