Nurses blame IB-Salut for the hospital collapse due to its handling of the flu

PalmThe nursing union Satse has denounced the "serious collapse" of public hospitals in the Balearic Islands due to "the lack of foresight and planning by IB-Salut (the Balearic Islands Health Service) in the face of increased demand for care" caused by the flu season and other respiratory illnesses typical of this time of year. According to a statement released by the nursing union on Thursday, the situation is critical and affects virtually all hospitals in the archipelago. The organization indicated that Son Espases Hospital currently has 79 patients awaiting admission and its Emergency Department is completely overwhelmed, while Son Llàtzer Hospital has 36 people awaiting admission and 78 patients being treated in its saturated Emergency Department. Furthermore, the Short-Stay Unit and the waiting room for patients at Manacor Hospital are full. The union added that at the Inca Regional Hospital, both the emergency room and the ICU are full, and more than 20 patients are waiting for ward discharges to be processed before they can be admitted. Meanwhile, the Mateu Orfila Hospital in Menorca has no beds available, and the emergency room in Ibiza is similarly overwhelmed, with staff shortages. Satse asserted that this collapse is not an unforeseen situation, but rather the result of poor management, due to inadequate planning, a failure to open beds, and a lack of reinforcement of human resources.