Son Espases short of intensive care beds

"That a hospital like Son Espases can run out of ICU beds is especially serious"

Emergencies, Son Espases Hospital in Palma, Mallorca

Beds in emergencies and ICU are all occupied. | Archive

Andrew EdePalma17/12/2022 15:29

The Simebal doctors union says that there were no spare intensive care unit beds at Son Espases Hospital on Friday night, its president, Miguel Lázaro, highlighting the "historical lack" of beds in ICUs and emergencies due to the number of patients with respiratory illnesses. "Son Espases ICU is full and so is the emergencies unit. Over the past week, we've been attending to patients who are in the corridors. The peak that always occurs around this time, usually linked to respiratory viruses, was to have been expected and will possibly be repeated in January. But no measures are being taken."

Son Espases has had to refer patients to Inca, but the situation at Inca Hospital isn't much better. The regional ministry of health ministry has not yet offered any comment or said if it is planning to take special measures.

According to Lázaro, the problem is a lack of beds in hospitals for the chronically ill, meaning that hospitals for acute conditions are full. In the Balearics, he says, there is a lack of places in social health hospitals, and so chronic patients with previous respiratory conditions, who would ideally be admitted to these, "end up occupying acute care beds".

"You cannot foresee a tsunami, but the storms that occur every year at this time can be. A plan B and a plan C are necessary. That a hospital like Son Espases can run out of ICU beds is especially serious."