With four people already dead and five intubated with complications from flu and seasonal infections, people with a cough or fever are flocking to state hospital emergency departments seeking immediate treatment and waiting for hours on end to be seen by a doctor.
People dying and suffering life-threatening complications from flu is nothing new and happens every year, however what should be avoided is using casualty in place of a GP, who could prescribe the necessary medication over the phone.
Emergency rooms are for urgent, life-threatening cases and anyone not categorised as such will be inconvenienced for a few hours until a doctor can see them, state health services organisation (Okypy) spokesman Charalambos Charilaou told the Cyprus Mail.
“The outbreak of seasonal infections continues and for this reason we have a lot of pressure at the emergency department where Okypy has made sure that all emergencies, in which the life of a person is in danger, will be given immediate medical attention,” Charilaou said.
“But cases that are not urgent and should be at the GP or the outpatients of course will experience some inconvenience until they are examined. Our plea to the public is that when they have a small cough or a bit of fever, cases that are not urgent, they should go to their GPs or the outpatients on duty over weekends and holidays,” he said.
“The numbers at the emergency departments have doubled, the result is increased admissions and the occupancy of hospitals is over 90 per cent but under control.”
“We have the infrastructure and expertise and we have proved during Covid that we can adapt to meet the needs,” he said.
He added that it was “necessary for all to cooperate – Okypy, the medical professionals and the private sector – to address this seasonal crisis.”
“The emergency departments are not for cases where someone’s life is not in danger. Their role is to deal with difficult and urgent cases,” he stressed.
At Nicosia general hospital alone, there are over 200 cases a day.
“Many are not urgent cases. They shouldn’t be there with a small cough or a bit of temperature. However, we have never refused to see a patient that comes to the emergency department,” he said.
Charilaou explained that “the cases are categorised, the emergencies are prioritised for immediate medical treatment and those deemed not to be urgent will possibly face delays, but they will definitely receive proper treatment when their turn comes.”
“The staff is working full speed to serve the people and address all cases efficiently,” he added.
Anyone with symptoms, he said, should speak with their GP to avoid any complications.
Regarding the flu-related deaths recorded already, Charilaou said “this is to be expected, this happens every year.”
“This does not mean that everyone with an underlying disease dies. Those with underlying diseases are more susceptible to developing complications, but this does not mean that at the end of the day those with complications are only those with underlying diseases,” he said.
He urged the public to take safety precautions, such as washing hands, disinfecting surfaces, properly airing spaces, and said those who can be vaccinated should do so while those who are ill should stay at home so they don’t spread it around.
Meanwhile, general practitioners across the island have reported being under unprecedented pressure, as patients are turning up by the dozens seeking relief from flu and other seasonal illnesses.
“This week was the worst” since the GP system was established, vice president of the GP scientific society Mary Avraamidou said.
She told philenews that by the end of the week flu complications had become evident, with bronchitis and other symptoms.
Avraamidou said this was a European phenomenon and not restricted to Cyprus, with flu manifesting two weeks earlier than usual and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) still circulating among the public.
She added that people with flu symptoms should stay at home and GPs only called patients in if symptoms did not subside or the fever relapsed.
GPs were also adamant about patients taking tests, advising retaking tests even if initial results were negative.
The combo 4-in-1 tests available at pharmacies test for influenza A and B, Covid-19 and RSV.
Chairman of the state doctors’ union Soteris Koumas told Phileleftheros that everyone’s cooperation was necessary.
He also called on the public to stay at home when symptoms appear to avoid spreading the infection.
In the meantime, pharmacists suggested vaccinating people at private pharmacies.
Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Association Ploutarchos Georgiades said this situation could possibly have been avoided if the public could get flu jabs at their local chemists.
