Huge efforts have been made to ensure that no patient is left helpless, the Minister of Health Vassilis Kikilias, during the regular briefing at the Ministry of Health for the pandemic and added that the incidents COVID who need bedding intensive care are served within 24 hours.
The Minister of Health spoke of a dynamic situation in the NHS, which has reached its limits, but added that everything humanly possible is being done to make the system meet the needs.
He stressed that 1,400 ICU beds have been developed throughout Greece, while in Attica, which faces the greatest pressure, 381 ICU beds are available for COVID cases. In total, he said, 650 ICU beds have been deployed across the basin. In Attica there are currently 2,961 simple COVID beds in operation, he said.
Already 4,648 patients with COVID are being treated in hospitals across the country, 1,000 more than last week, the Health Minister said. «It is confirmed today with the 3,465 cases of covid-19 that we are at the most difficult turning point of the disease's progression and the number of cases certifies the state of emergency regarding the NHS,» he said and stressed that «the pandemic and the spread of the disease in our country followed the worst-case scenario».
We will do everything to tackle the pandemic, the minister said and announced further strengthening of the NHS, saying. all of Greece becomes a single health region, and where necessary, evacuations to neighbouring counties and air evacuations will be made.
The NHS is under pressure, especially in Attica, but also in the region where the virus is spreading, the minister said, appealing to private doctors to assist the NHS. «In this battle for life, we expect and ask for the support of all doctors,» he stressed, adding that if in the next 48 hours at least 200 doctors have not responded to this new call, he will ask the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis become requisitioning the services of private doctors who have specialities which are necessary for hospitalisation COVID incidents.
As the Health Minister stressed, the NHS is being further strengthened to withstand the pressure it is under. The Red Hospital is being converted into a wholly covid hospital, while the 251 Aviation Hospital is being integrated into the NHS for non covid cases and an emergency department.
The private sector provides a total of 550 beds in Attica, of which 450 are non Covid. 300 of these beds are provided by the Hellenic Health Care Group with their medical and nursing staff. IASO SA Group provides 100 beds with all medical and nursing staff, and the Athens Group, 50 beds with all medical and nursing staff. Of the 100 beds Covid will assist the NHS, 60 are allocated by the Athens Euroclinic Group with all their medical and nursing staff, and 40 by the Biomedical Group with all their medical and nursing staff.
The NHS is in a state of emergency, and huge efforts are being made to strengthen it, concluded the Health Minister, who, in response to a relevant question, stressed that «no other way of limiting the disease has been discovered internationally, other than reducing mobility» and pointed out: «We have also implemented these measures in our country and things are better in terms of deaths.». We have also managed to give some breathing space to society, was joined by the Minister of Health, who expressed the belief that «we will endure and move on to the next step.», to restart the economy. «Hope is a driving force,» he concluded, saying that the government is already considering measures for the next day.
