Drastic measures. But also exceptional measures. The Govern has appealed to all medical and nursing personnel who have retired in the last two years to join as soon as possible to fight the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. The Minister of Health, Alba Vergés, has detailed that the request is for anyone who is less than 70 years old. In addition, it has requested that they add graduates in Medicine and Nursing in 2019, as well as final-year students. An exceptional measure that must inevitably be accompanied, in the opinion of the Generalitat, of a total confinement of Catalonia that Quim Torra has been demanding from Pedro Sánchez since Friday. If it is not launched, the Government spokeswoman, Meritxell Budó, has warned this noon that the Catalan public health system will enter “maximum stress” this weekend and may “collapse”.
This last measure is justified in the fear that the Catalan health system will collapse in the coming days. “We foresee a brutal growth of cases,” said Vergés this afternoon. The Govern considers that professional strength must be maximized as much as possible to combat the pandemic. “In the coming weeks, our healthcare system will face an escalation of demands for care by Covid-19, which will greatly strain our organizations and medical staff,” Vergés acknowledged. To maximize it, the Catalan Executive wants to mobilize all graduates in Catalonia last year. There would be 973 people who obtained the title of Medicine at Catalan universities, although not all of them remain in Catalonia, “but a good part of it”, explained the minister. This promotion of doctors is the one that mostly took the MIR exam on January 25 and are awaiting the award of places.
The Catalan Executive requests the collaboration of 1,502 doctors and nursing staff retired in the last two years
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Vergés has detailed that the Government has requested the collaboration of Catalan universities through the Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya to locate these recently qualified professionals. The petition was sent on March 16 to the rectors. Today, after filling out an enrollment form, the minister has assured that 400 new doctors have already been identified who “will be able to” enlarge “the health system.
Regarding the call to retirees, Vergés highlighted “his accredited talent”, which can be “of great value in this situation” of crisis. Only at the Institut Català de Salut, in the last two years 1,502 professionals have retired, including doctors and nurses, of whom “941 nurses, 561 doctors.” “We appeal to these professionals who are under the age of 70 and who want to join active service at these exceptional times,” claimed the Minister of Salut.
Budó announces that cases have already been derived from public to private healthcare
Thirdly, the Generalitat has demanded the help of the last year Medicine and Nursing students, although the minister has wanted to point out that there have been many volunteers in this sector since the beginning of the crisis. At this point, the mobilization would be considerable, since at the moment in Catalonia there are 1,700 senior nursing students from nine different universities, about 970 medical students in the last year from seven faculties. The counselor explained that on March 17, help was again requested from the rectors and has stated that the measure will be extended to students of all courses.
But the Government insists again and again to Moncloa that the total confinement of Catalonia is essential. Budó has regretted again that the Prime Minister has not responded to this demand, made in writing by the Minister of the Interior, Miquel Buch, and the Minister of Health, Alba Vergés. As the Govern has no powers to order the closure, it has asked citizens to follow its instructions not to leave their homes, especially given the approach of the weekend. “We have to be very aware that we are approaching a very complicated situation,” said the spokesperson for the Catalan Executive. Buch has reiterated the need for confinement and has stated that there will be police devices to control this weekend “attempts to go to a second residence” throughout the Catalan territory “to guarantee that real confinement is guaranteed” to help the spread of the illness.
Vergés affirms that for the next few weeks a “brutal growth in cases” is expected
Budó has announced that coronavirus cases are already being referred to private healthcare and that the President of the Generalitat is in permanent contact with different directors of hospital centers in Catalonia.
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