All planned hospital and independent clinic care will be suspended in order to free up medical staff, according to a new report by Minister of Medical Care Tamara van Ark.
The increasing number of coronavirus patients in hospitals has placed undue pressure on the healthcare system. The heavy workload and high infection rates among medical workers have led to increased absenteeism, and, according to the NOS, the peak is expected in January.
“It is really all hands on deck in the hospitals in the coming weeks,” says Van Ark. “Unfortunately, regular care that can be planned must be scaled down in this special period.”
The number of ICU beds will also be increased. While there are normally 1,150, there will now be 1,450. Additional patients will be relocated for care in Germany.
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