What happens to non-Covid care when Covid-19 beds are reallocated?

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Non-Covid care becomes harder to manage as Covid-19 beds and key resources are reallocated

Non-Covid-19 patients who need urgent treatment and care may not be manageable when hospital resources are further stretched by Covid-19. The strain is not limited to beds: patients with other long-term conditions such as diabetes and heart conditions also require hospital beds, ventilators, and functioning operating theatres, which are being allocated to Covid-19 patients.
Hospitals are operating at about 80% capacity or more, leaving little room for non-Covid patients
Hospitals have reached around 80% capacity, with some already at 100%, as daily cases cross the 6,000-mark threshold. With low-risk centres seeing long queues where patients wait hours for a bed, the system’s limited capacity makes it harder for non-Covid patients to receive timely care.
Non-Covid patients can face delayed or sub-optimal treatment, with outcomes that are not fully known
The full impact on non-Covid-19 patients is unknown, including how many develop complications or die due to sub-optimal and delayed care when resources are redirected to Covid-19. The concern described is that, in such a pandemic, doctors fear that no one will come when they call for help because of insufficient resources.
Essential hospital functions used for non-Covid care are redirected to Covid-19 patients
Non-Covid care depends on resources such as ventilators and functioning operating theatres, and these are among the items being allocated to Covid-19 patients. When these capabilities are diverted, the ability to provide timely treatment for chronic illnesses and other urgent needs is reduced.
The system’s ability to add capacity does not remove the risk to non-Covid patients
The army is setting up field ICUs to handle patient volume, and private hospitals are nearing or at capacity. Even with these additions, the account emphasises that if resources are stretched further, hospitals will not be able to manage non-Covid-19 patients who still require urgent treatment and care.

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What happens to non-Covid care when Covid-19 beds are reallocated?

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