COVID-19 patients 'can't be treated in Istanbul hospitals due to overcrowd'

COVID-19 patients can no longer be admitted to hospitals in Istanbul as all units reserved for the pandemic have filled up, medical experts warned. Meanwhile, Turkey's COVID-19 numbers continue to surge, as 85 people died from the disease on Nov. 9.

Tuesday November 10 2020 03:27 pm

Duvar English

Beds and intensive care units reserved for COVID-19 patients in Istanbul are full, which results in patients being sent home without treatment, daily Birgün reported on Nov. 10.

"Multiple hospitals in Istanbul are reporting full occupancy in their COVID-19 beds and intensive care units. The Health Ministry should swiftly arrange for patients who need to be admitted to be transferred to available hospitals," former chairman of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Raşit Tükel said on Nov. 8.

İstanbul’da çeşitli hastanelerden Covid-19 hastaları için ayrılan servislerin ve yoğun bakım yataklarının dolduğu bilgisi geliyor. Sağlık Bakanlığı, yatarak tedavisi gereken hastaların uygun hastanelere yönlendirilmesi için gerekli organizasyonu ivedilikle yapmalıdır.
— Raşit Tükel (@rasittukel) November 8, 2020

According to Istanbul Medical Chamber (İTO) board member Güray Kılıç, the Health Ministry put the Emergency Health Coordination Center (ASKOM) in effect, which means that public hospitals' intensive care units are full.

"Patients who need intensive care are directed to the nearest hospital," Kılıç noted. "But ASKOM doesn't provide care for patients who need to be admitted to a hospital bed. The patient is forced to wait in the emergency and then sent home."

Meanwhile, Turkey's COVID-19 numbers continue to rise, as 85 people died on Nov. 9 and 2,576 new patients were diagnosed.

Dean of Istanbul University's Medical Faculty Prof. Tufan Tükek also said that they increased the number of intensive care units reserved for COVID-19 patients.