The director of the Nahariya Medical Center, Prof. Masad Barhoum, has been warning for years about a severe shortage of personnel and inpatient bed standards at the Galilee Medical Center in particular and the periphery in general. Prof. Barhum: “We will continue to accept patients, because we have no other option as the largest hospital in the Galilee. Despite the challenging situation, we will continue and provide a professional and humane response at the highest level.” Nurse in charge of the emergency room, Dina Prover: “I’ve been working here for 22 years and I don’t remember such a load. we are collapsing”
An unusual and unusual load was recorded today (Sunday) at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, and especially in the emergency medicine department – emergency department and in the six internal departments. As early as early in the morning, no less than 23 patients were delayed in the emergency room, because they had no available hospital beds in the various departments.
As the day progressed, the dimensions of the phenomenon became clear, and more and more patients of all ages and sectors accumulated in the emergency room. At noon, in just one hour, 30 patients entered the emergency room, a quantity considered a record in such a short period of time.
At that time, 200 percent occupancy was recorded in the emergency room (110 patients, while the bed standard in the entire hospital is only 54). This morning with 23 detainees, which is an amount that the mind is unable to grasp. On average, each nursing staff member treated at least 10-12 patients at the same time. It’s an inhumane situation, we’re collapsing.”
The director of the emergency department, Dr. Khaled Atallah, said that “This is a challenging and extremely complex situation, which we face not only today, but almost throughout the current winter season and every year. It seems that this year the situation is even worse compared to the past. It is important for me to emphasize that all patients delayed in the emergency room receive professional and dedicated care from the various teams.”
And on the same subject: in the six internal wards, abnormal loads of 150 percent occupancy on average were recorded today. The “peak” of the load in the internal wards in particular and in the medical center in general is Internal Ward D, under the management of Dr. Boris Sabirsky, with 55 patients (bed standard: 34). This is about 170 percent occupancy.
Due to the unusual occupancy rates, the internal ward had to add a fourth bed in each of the rooms, which naturally resulted in much greater density in each of the inpatient rooms, with a very small distance between one bed and another.
In addition, the department’s dining room was converted into a large inpatient room, and from time to time it was possible to see a patient who had to lie on a hospital bed in the department’s corridor. It should be noted that all six internal departments are at more than 100 percent occupancy, most of them over 130 percent.
Nona Rubinov, internal charge nurse D. says in response: “These are difficult scenes that keep me awake. I don’t have a clear explanation as to the reason for the unusual load. I assume it has to do with the winter sickness, the fact that we are in a transition season and of course with ongoing and additional sickness, such as the fact that the hospital It is a regional trauma center, where trauma victims come from all over the north (gunshot and stab wounds, falls from a height, car accidents and more). I have been a nurse in charge of the department for 17 years, and except for one or two similar cases from the distant past, I have trouble remembering such an unusual situation.”
The director of the medical center, Prof. Masad Barhoum, wanted to praise the medical and nursing teams, who according to him are doing sacred work under particularly complex conditions, and asked the patients to be patient and consider the many challenges facing the teams.
Prof. Barhoum added: “For years I have been warning about a lack of standards and personnel in our medical center in particular and in the suburbs in general, as well as a serious lack of hospital bed standards, especially intensive care beds. It must be remembered that our medical center is the largest hospital in the Galilee , the only one in the Western Galilee and one of the two largest government hospitals north of Tel Aviv. This is the reason why I, as the director of the medical center, do not have the privilege of closing the emergency room to new patients. Those who come to us will receive the most professional, humane and dedicated care, despite the challenging situation.”