‘Services are stretched’
low relative to similar countries.
The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society in 2018 estimated there were 5.14 ICU beds per 100,000 people in New Zealand.
It trails well behind Australia (8.92), nearly all countries in Europe (average 11.5), and Canada (13.5).
Those intensive care spaces must also be shared with patients who have non-Covid-19 related issues, who can occupy 80 to 90 per cent of existing spaces at any one time.
Provincial hospitals have less capacity than those in larger cities, and it is unlikely patients would be transferred amid a surge of Covid-19 cases.
‘‘Our doctors are worried about how bad it’s going to get, they’re worried about not wanting to spread or transmit to their families,’’ Dalton said. Several frontline health staff have reported issues with accessing personal protective equipment (PPE) from their DHBs, despite assurances the national stockpile is adequate.
Junior doctor Dr Rebecca Fisher, based at Christchurch Hospital, told the Sunday StarTimes she and her colleagues had paid for their own equipment as the DHB was ‘‘holding scrubs ransom’’ for theatre staff.
As of yesterday morning, she and her colleagues at Christchurch Hospital had requested 61 pairs be ordered, totalling $5000, she said. The gowns cost $96 each and came from a local uniform manufacturer.
The Canterbury DHB’s Covid19 incident controller, Dr Sue Nightingale, said staff ‘‘will be provided PPE when they are working in areas where they may come into contact with Covid-19 patients’’.
There were currently no Covid-19 patients in Christchurch Hospital, she said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Newshub Nation yesterday there was no reason for staff to fear running out.
‘‘We have the stock. So reiterating to those working on this operation, we have got to make sure that the distribution line continues because we have got the numbers we need.’’
There are more than 18 million masks across the country and another five million spread around DHBs. The Ministry of Health’s national reserve held 1.9 million aprons and gowns, 2.7 million pairs of gloves and 60,000 sets of eye protection.
Dr Kate Baddock, chair of the New Zealand Medical Association, said hospitals had ramped up preparations in the past fortnight. ‘‘There appears to be really good planning around stocktakes within hospital settings, determining which parts of the hospitals will be used for Covid-positive patients, and what supplies are required to do that safely.’’
‘Our consistent view about the health system prior to this is that it was underfunded, and it was certainly understaffed. ’ SARAH DALTON, RIGHT