Hospitals have now entered phase 4 of the contingency plan to ensure that the necessary care staff are available and sufficiently rested. Last week alone saw 586 people missing from rotation in the country’s hospitals.
Doctors will inform patients whether or not an operation needs to be postponed.
According to Minister of Health Paulette Lenert, institutions have thus far decreased non-essential medical procedures by between 15 and 50 percent. This was part of her official response to an urgent enquiry by CSV chairwoman Martine Hansen.
Lenert explained that many patients show understanding for the situation and voluntarily postpone surgery if possible.
She further noted that internal changes still need to be made to ensure that proper social distancing can be maintained during medical examinations.
