Phoenix, Arizona suffers lack of medical personnel

PHOENIX – Hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, continue to face a lack of medical staff to care for patients.

Even though vaccination is available to Arizona residents, the number of Coronavirus victims continues to rise.

One of the health care providers in Arizona, Valley Banner Health, announced that it requires the hiring of 360 travel nurses and respiratory therapists, in addition to almost a thousand basic nurses, to work in various hospitals in the entity.

Hospitals are in the same situation, because although they publish vacancies, they do not get staff; for example, Valleywise Healt Medical Center has more than 300 positions available; while HonorHealth must hire a thousand health workers.

The Arizona Department of Public Health announced that only 7% of intensive care unit beds are available, however, although there is room for new patients, specialized personnel are required.

HonorHealt, which is one of the largest hospital systems in the state, is currently facing a lack of staff to care for both Covid-19 patients and those suffering from the West Nile virus.

Kim Post, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said they have to be selective about who should get medical treatment.

Beds are available in hospitals, but there is a lack of staff to care for patients, Valley surgeon Sam Durrani said.

In addition to the fact that the number of patients with Covid-19, West Nile virus and influenza continues to increase, the number of patients is expected to increase when low temperatures reach the entity.

Juana Rodriguez, a resident of Phoenix Arizona, said that the lack of medical personnel is distressing for citizens, since they have resources to pay for services but there is no way to be hospitalized.

“When my husband fell ill with Coronavirus in May of this year we had a really bad time. We had the money but they did not receive it anywhere because there were no specialized doctors. The only thing they did was consult him and return him home”, she mentioned.

“We had to read and read all the recommendations given by doctors and on social networks to care for a patient at home. I am a cook, what would I know about giving my husband nebulisations or checking if the oxygenation he had did not require that he be taken to the hospital urgently; We tried to hire a nurse but we didn’t succeed”, she added.

She said that when he went to request medical attention in the emergency room, he observed that several people were in the same situation, very few managed to stay hospitalized after being treated by a doctor.

In order to reduce the chances of having to go to the hospital for emergency care due to Covid-19, Dr. Durrani urged the population to apply the vaccine.