Covid-19: Toughest week yet of pandemic for NI hospitals
By Marie-Louise Connolly
Published
image captionNorthern Ireland s hospitals have faced intense pressure in recent weeks
Medical staff are expected to face pressures unlike any other they have faced before as NI approaches its toughest week so far in the pandemic.
The British Medical Association has said while its doctors are coping , many feel they are unable to give care to the standard they would want .
The peak in intensive care is predicted to happen next weekend.
The head of the BMA in NI, Dr Tom Black has been critical of the way this wave of the pandemic has been managed.
The growing unease between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive over the handling of the pandemic on the island of Ireland was laid bare last week during a meeting by senior politicians on both sides of the Border.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken had a robust exchange on the issue, according to two sources privy to the discussions which were held to mark the first anniversary of the restoration of the power-sharing Executive.
It all centred around claims the Irish Government had refused to share details on passengers arriving on the island, despite multiple requests by Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann.
International travellers will be required to present a negative Covid test before arriving in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has announced.
THE Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) has projected that the number of Covid-19 patients in their hospitals could double in the next week as they continue to deal with “extreme pressures” at their hospitals . At a briefing on Tuesday, the Director of Finance and Contracting, Neil Guckian, said that Covid patients had increased by almost 50 per cent in the past number of days, and it could get worse. Throughout the briefing, it was emphasised just how much pressure was currently on the Western Trust. “Our projections are indicating that from next week, numbers could double from one in four patients in our hospitals to double that amount. To have 40 per cent of all adult beds used for Covid is extremely challenging,” said Mr. Guckian.