Osaka "Surgery is postponed" In some cases, the number of severely ill people is increasing rapidly and it is not possible to transfer to another hospital.

Osaka, where the infection of the new coronavirus continues to spread rapidly.

The number of newly confirmed infected people on the 13th was 1099, exceeding 1000 for the first time.

In Osaka, the degree of tightness in the medical field is increasing.

In hospitals that accept moderately or mildly ill patients, it is newly found that there are about 15 patients who are judged to be severely ill but cannot be transferred due to lack of beds.

Regarding the Municipal General Medical Center, which accepts critically ill patients, Mayor Matsui of Osaka City expressed his intention to allocate the beds to the new Corona for critically ill patients as much as possible.

"We will secure a critically ill bed by postponing emergency surgery," he said.

Osaka Prefecture says, "There is something new happening."

Severely ill patients in Osaka Prefecture surged 2.6 times in the last two weeks

In Osaka Prefecture, the number of critically ill patients was 218 as of the 12th, a rapid increase of 2.6 times in the last two weeks, and the hospital beds for critically ill patients who can be hospitalized immediately are filled with more than 90%.

Approximately 15 people who cannot be transferred to another hospital even if they become severely ill

The effects of medical pressure are already apparent in the field.

Last week, Osaka Prefecture requested a large hospital that accepts moderately and mildly ill patients to continue treatment without transferring them even if the patients become severely ill.

As of the 12th, 15 critically ill patients were being treated without transfer.

However, apart from this, it is said that there are about 15 patients as of the 12th who are unable to transfer to another hospital due to lack of vacant beds even though the medical institution has determined that they are seriously ill. I learned anew from the interview with.

The medical institution where these patients are hospitalized asks the hospitalization follow-up center in Osaka Prefecture to transfer to a hospital with a seriously ill bed.

In addition, there are about 15 unwell patients who are considering whether to wear a ventilator at a medical institution in the prefecture.

Osaka Prefecture said, "I can't feel the effect of priority measures such as prevention of spread. At the moment, patients are receiving appropriate medical care, but in a very tight situation, an unprecedented situation is occurring. I want you to change your behavior and help medical care. "

Restrictions on accepting emergency patients at the Municipal General Medical Center

Under these circumstances, restrictions on the acceptance of emergency patients have begun in Osaka.

Mayor Matsui of Osaka City received a rapid increase in critically ill patients on the 13th, and restricted the acceptance of tertiary emergency care at the Osaka City General Hospital in Miyakojima Ward, Osaka. I showed the idea to turn around.

Osaka City General Hospital is a hospital with 1063 beds, which is the largest number in the city, and 54 clinical departments.

In emergency medical care, it accepts serious general patients and is designated as a "tertiary emergency medical institution", the only "pediatric critical care center" in Osaka city, and the only "infectious disease designated medical institution" in the city. Is specified in.

It is also positioned as a "disaster base hospital" that has a landing site for critical care and doctor helicopters in the event of a disaster and plays a central role in the event of a large-scale disaster.

Mayor Matsui "Postponing emergency surgery and securing a seriously ill bed"

However, as the infection of the new coronavirus continues to spread, Mayor Matsui said, "We will allocate to other hospitals except for pediatric emergency surgery and postpone emergency surgery to secure a seriously ill bed and survive the spread of infection. I want to. "

Of the 28 beds for critically ill patients, in principle, 23 will be dedicated to patients with the new corona, and the remaining 5 will be used for pediatric emergency care.

On the other hand, for outpatients, all clinical departments will continue to accept patients.

Hospital that continued to treat critically ill patients "I can't throw it away"

At "Osaka Gyoumeikan Hospital" in Konohana-ku, Osaka, which accepts patients with mild and moderate illness, we decided that the patient had become seriously ill and requested the prefecture to transfer to another hospital, but we could not find a transfer destination for four days. In addition, I have continued treatment as it is.

The hospital is a private general hospital with approximately 460 beds and currently accepts patients with 17 beds for patients with the new mild and moderate corona.

According to the hospital, last week it was determined that the patient with the new corona who had been hospitalized had deteriorated and became seriously ill, so he requested a transfer to the hospitalization follow-up center of the prefecture that coordinates the patient's hospitalization.

However, the hospital to which he was transferred was not found for four days, and he continued treatment by intubation and other treatments.

Takahiro Nishioka, general manager of "Osaka Gyoumeikan Hospital," said, "It is difficult to treat critically ill patients in terms of technology, equipment, and staff training, but we cannot throw them away, so we have to wait for the situation to improve. No, "he said.

Many nurses have been treating critically ill patients at the hospital, so we have temporarily suspended the acceptance of new mild and moderately ill patients.

Nishioka said, "We have increased the number of beds, but we are no longer able to accept patients. If that happens, we will not be able to be hospitalized, and we will be followed up at home, and we are concerned that the number of patients who will not be able to see medical care will increase. I was talking.

Expert "In some cases life-threatening"

Regarding this situation, Dr. Yoshinori Yasui, a visiting researcher at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Dr. Yoshinori Yasui of the Osaka Prefectural Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, said, "It is not happening now that both severely ill patients with the new corona and general severely ill patients are not accepted. I think. We are in a situation where we cannot provide regular medical care. "

On top of that, "The number of patients with the new corona is increasing explosively, and even if we increase the number of beds a little, it will not be in time. If nothing is done, it will become serious without being admitted to the hospital, and in some cases it will be fatal. I think that people will come out from now on. "