In Slovenia, just under 300 deaths of patients infected with Covid-19 have been recorded in the last two months, or five deaths of Covid-19 patients per day. This brings us close to a similar number of deaths to those recorded in the last wave of the epidemic in the spring of 2022. Meanwhile, the government or the Ministry of Health have failed to at least urge people to behave responsibly so as to minimise the burden on the already overstretched healthcare staff.
The Covid-19 tracker data of the 1st of November showed that 9529 Covid-19 deaths have been detected since the start of the epidemic, and 9822 deaths were recorded on the 27th of December, an increase of 293.
In recent days, a large number of patients requiring emergency care due to respiratory illnesses (influenza, pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Covid-19) was recorded in the country’s largest hospital. For this reason, according to the Slovenian Press Agency, the emergency room of the Infectious Diseases Clinic and the Internal Medicine First Aid Clinic have also seen a prolonged waiting time for treatment. Patients were asked for their understanding and patience and assured that they would all be treated appropriately.
Alenka Forte, former State Secretary and Chair of the Health Committee in the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) Expert Council, criticised the current leadership of the Ministry of Health for its lack of response in the context of patient overcrowding, as those in charge at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana are also asking for help from other Slovenian hospitals. “And the current leadership of the Ministry of Health is unresponsive – during the 2020-2022 epidemic, we at the Ministry of Health coordinated and helped get all hospitals to work together as one hospital.”
Just before the holidays, infectious disease specialist Federico Potočnik warned that the winter period naturally brings more respiratory infections, including Covid-19. People can help, he said, by following the appropriate regimes to maintain hand hygiene and cough hygiene, and if someone is sick, as common sense dictates, they should avoid contact with other people or at least wear a mask.
“Bear in mind that a young person with a mild cold can put a sick or elderly person in the grave by transmitting the infection,” doctor Potočnik warned, adding that it is people’s responsibility to protect others, if they are sick, as well as themselves from infections. Infectious disease specialist Tatjana Lejko Zupanc also advised that wearing masks is highly recommended. The latter is advised for hospital staff as well as for patients and visitors to healthcare facilities. Both doctors advised responsible behaviour on the part of all individuals, rather than tightening measures at the national level. Perhaps, at the very least, the people in power could urge citizens to behave responsibly. Unfortunately, reforms that would, among other things, bring shorter waiting times for patients and better working conditions for healthcare staff do not seem to be on the cards for some time yet.
I. K.
