Wait time of up to nine hours at UZ Leuven emergency
Emergency departments across Belgium are overloaded with work, particularly in the winter months, said a doctors’ association, as UZ Leuven’s A&E sounds an alarm
90 patients at once
At peak moments this week alone, UZ Leuven’s A&E had 90 patients waiting at a time. “The situation is sustainable as long as there are fewer than 60 patients,” said Verelst. “Then we can help everyone within two hours.”
Typical winter illness such as respiratory infections are one of the main causes of A&E overload in January, but there is also a structural problem, she said: There are no hospital beds available. As a result, patients cannot make a smooth transition from the emergency room to a hospital bed.
The problem put patients’ health at risk, claimed Verelst. “If someone has a bacterial infection, you cannot see that immediately, but that bacteria can end up in the blood stream in nine hours’ time,” she said. “Then patients can weaken quickly.”
According to the Belgian Association of Emergency Doctors (BeCEP), there is an increased pressure on emergency services across the country, but the situation in Leuven is exceptional. BeCEP president Jan Stroobants said that a new system should be introduced wherein the number of hospital beds is decreased in the summer to avoid a surplus and increased in the winter to prevent a shortage.
Photo courtesy UZ Leuven
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