Maternity hospitals, exhibition centers, shopping centers... What else can become a covid hospital?

Daria Voznesenskaya

According to the deputy head of the Ministry of Health Oleg Gridnev, about 90% of the bed capacity for patients with coronavirus is already occupied in Russia. At the same time, he considers the construction of a large number of infectious diseases hospitals unjustified. According to Gridnev, it is correct to re-profile beds in existing medical institutions.

The largest shortage of bed capacity for patients with coronavirus is observed in the Magadan region. There are 98% of beds occupied, while they are intended only for severe patients. In the Trans-Baikal Territory, 93% of the bed fund is occupied. In the Primorsky Territory - 90%. There are the same number in the Rostov region, and this is taking into account the fact that a new covid hospital with 400 beds was opened there the other day. Before its appearance, the occupancy rate of covid hospitals exceeded 100%. In-hospital kovidah Belgorod, located at the base of the city hospital number 2, October 12 ended in place. There are 730 beds deployed there, but there are already 770 patients. The same situation is in Sevastopol - there are 610 beds, but the number of hospitalized patients with coronavirus is greater.

At the same time, not in all regions, the authorities are officially ready to announce the lack of places in covid hospitals. Although residents are complaining about the denial of hospitalization on social networks. For example, according to local residents, hospitals are overcrowded in Saratov. However, the regional ministry of health claims that there are free beds.

Since spring, it has become a practice in Russia that hospitals of various profiles will be converted into covid hospitals. And this will surprise no one. But with the growth of patients, the authorities have to look for new options for deploying covid hospitals.

So, for example, now in some subjects under patients with coronavirus, maternity hospitals have begun, which causes a lot of indignation. So, the maternity hospital in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, has been receiving infected COVID-19 since the beginning of October. Pregnant women from this city are sent to the maternity hospital in Nizhny Novgorod. It is also planned to give maternity hospitals for covid hospitals in Khabarovsk, Novosibirsk, Pyatigorsk ... Employees of the only maternity hospital in Pyatigorsk made a collective appeal to preserve the profile of the medical institution. The prosecutor's office has already become interested in this appeal.

Immunologist Andrey Prodeus believes that sports complexes and exhibition centers can be converted into hospitals. “Any such room can be converted into a mobile hospital. As in army conditions: it is necessary that it does not drip from the sky and does not blow from the side, and you simply bring the rest of the things there. These are partitions, bulkheads, equipment, beds and so on”, - he said.

This practice is already being used in St. Petersburg. On October 13, the temporary hospital at Lenexpo resumed receiving patients with coronavirus infection there. He will be able to receive 2.5 thousand patients.

In addition, two reserve covid hospitals were opened in Moscow at the Sokolniki Exhibition Center and the Krylatskoye Ice Palace. They work in the structure of the capital's hospitals in the fight against coronavirus. The total number of beds is 1.9 thousand. The hospitals were established there in the spring, but then they were not required. If necessary, two more temporary covid hospitals will appear in the city - in the Moscow shopping center and at VDNKh, said the deputy mayor of the capital Anastasia Rakova. “Let's be honest - there are always a finite number of beds, and no matter how many we unfold them, they will come to an end one day”, - she said.

Also, a temporary covid hospital reopened in the Patriot park near Moscow. He worked in the spring, but then his bed fund was almost useless. A total of 1.4 thousand places are provided there.

In the Stavropol Territory, where the bed capacity is 75%, it is suggested to follow in the footsteps of St. Petersburg and deploy a covid hospital at the MinvodyEXPO exhibition center. This initiative was put forward by the Deputy Chairman of the Duma of the Stavropol Territory, Alexander Kuzmin. He also believes that patients can be accommodated in sanatoriums, including private ones.

“There is a huge expo center in Kavminvody, which in a pandemic can work to save lives. There is the experience of Moscow and Yekaterinburg [in Yekaterinburg, a covid hospital based on the Yekaterinburg Expo exhibition center opened in the summer and worked for about a month, - approx. edition], where they deployed mobile hospitals in exhibition centers, why not use Stavropol?", - Kuzmin said to NewsTracker.

In Nizhny Novgorod, according to the head of the region Gleb Nikitin, there is also a "plan B". It provides for the placement of additional beds for patients with coronavirus on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod fair. As of October 10, 78% of the bed capacity was occupied in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Although on October 5, this figure was 89%.

And the head of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, has already signed an order to convert ten sanatoriums and hotels into observatories for patients with coronavirus. Observators, in turn, will turn into covid hospitals.

Irina Kravchenko, chief freelance specialist on infectious diseases in the Volga Federal District, believes that the introduction of reserve capacities is quite justified, since now the main task is to ensure the possibility of providing medical care to people who need it.

“The head of any region has a specific plan in case of an emergency, which involves the deployment of certain places where patients may be. Therefore, as of today, I believe this plan is being put into action as needed. It should be thought that all these places are initially prepared for deployment. At least, this should be the case in every region", - Kravchenko said in a conversation with Novye Izvestia.