Health Care

  Recently, I came to observe a strange phenomenon in Tunisian hospitals. After their shift work, nurses assigned to Covid unit remove their personal protective equipments and get together at the cafe next to the hospital. They sit tightly next to each other without any precautions: no social distancing and no mask wearing. It is winter, and in order to keep warm they sit near each other. It is under the watch of these nurses that Covid patients are experiencing the toughest predicaments. The sickest patients get admitted to the hospital. Each hospitalized patient needs to be isolated, needs oxygen and needs intravenous medications. Some overcome the viral infection and some die. If these nurses are so much involved with direct contact with these patients and are so much aware of these patients suffering and cannot comprehend the risk they are taking, there must be a problem. Worldwide, viral transmission within health care professionals (HCP) is high. It is the nature of the job: ...

 Dear followers I apologize for not writing this week. I am traveling and can not focus. My subject next week, if all goes well will be about reckless nurses in Tunisia!

10 days ago while I was on call, the phone rings. It is the emergency room. The resident on the other end tells me she has Covid patients in need of oxygen and requiring hospital admission. She makes a specific request:“If the person in charge of the call tonight is not going to admit the patients, please tell us so we could find another health institution that would accept them”. I was wondering; why would she ask such question. I went to the emergency room, I evaluated patients and I asked what was going on. Apparently this specific physician (in charge for the call this particular night) refused to admit hypoxic Covid patients in the past. And apparently there is an investigation going on against her. Emergency room residents are made aware to take special precautions when she is on board. To avoid any delay in patient care, they asked ahead of time. During my call, the patients that needed attention were admitted and thankfully the worst was avoided. I find it outrageous to refuse ...

 Ms. H is a patient of about 65 years old who contracted Corona Virus. Her condition is severe and she is dying as she is gasping for oxygen and requiring high oxygen flow. Her last wish is to die at home. Physicians who are taking care of her are refusing her this last wish pretending that is a security issue and it is unlawful to let go of her. Patient started being symptomatic on day -14. A week later on day 0, she went to the emergency room, a rapid test was done and it came back positive. She was admitted to same day to the hospital where she stayed for a week. Her condition continued to deteriorate. Because of her age, the country limited resources and the lack of any availability in all ICUs, she cannot be resuscitated. She knows she is dying. On day 14, I see her and she asks to die at home. According to WHO, a minimum of 13 days of quarantine is recommended. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/criteria-for-releasing-covid-19-patients-from-isolation?fbcl...