Cancellation of planned operations in Ukraine: why it is needed and what are the risks
Planned operations have been canceled in Ukraine since November. This was due to the fact that all regions and oblasts then fell into the "red" and "orange" zones, which led to the tightening of quarantine restrictions. We talk about which operations were canceled in Ukraine, how long it will last and what are the exceptions.
Why the operation was canceled
Scheduled operations and hospitalizations in the country have been banned since November 9. This was announced by Chief Sanitary Doctor Viktor Lyashko. He said that hospitals will accept only urgent patients and only patients with coronavirus disease, because the situation is extremely tense not only in Ukraine but also around the world.
By the way, operations were banned only in state and municipal hospitals, but the ban does not apply to private clinics.
The government explained this initiative by the fact that people who are preparing for surgery and are in hospitals can now become infected with coronavirus. It was also noted that such restrictions will help reduce the burden on doctors.
What are the exceptions
First, it should be noted that this is only a ban on planned operations, ie urgent (urgent) operations are carried out, for example, if a person urgently needs to remove the appendix, this operation will be carried out quietly.
The ban also includes the following exceptions:
- medical care for complicated pregnancy and childbirth;
- medical care for pregnant women, mothers, newborns;
- medical care for patients with cancer;
- palliative care in hospital;
- planned medical care by medical institutions of national level that provide highly specialized care;
- urgent and urgent measures for hospitalization, if as a result of their transfer (postponement) there is a significant risk to human life or health.
We will remind that operations on removal of a hernia, a benign tumor, at a gallstone disease, etc. belong to planned.
What to do if surgery is needed
People who were preparing for planned surgery are seen by doctors. Doctors, in turn, must determine whether there will be risks to human health if the operation is postponed for some time. If there are risks, the operation should be performed. The relevant resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers states that operations are carried out when delaying treatment may worsen the prognosis.
What are the risks of canceling transactions
But such an initiative can be very dangerous. Viktor Serdyuk, President of the All-Ukrainian Council for the Protection of Patients’ Rights and Safety, told us in a comment that no one in Ukraine believed the possibility of infection, but according to the Polish Chief Sanitary Inspector, 30 to 50% of coronavirus infections occur in hospitals, so the Ukrainian government could enter into a dialogue with the population and doctors, cite international statistics and ask people not to go to the hospital without an urgent need.
"The purely human leadership of the country could address the population and say that hospitals are a place of concentration of infection, to ask not to visit them without a serious need. They could advise you to consult your doctor and postpone surgery only if there are no health risks, " -says Victor Serdyuk.
He added that if the seemingly trivial hernia or gallstones do not operate as planned, there may be exacerbations, such as restriction of the hernia. Because of this, the mortality rate increases, so in acute intestinal obstruction and purulent cholecystitis to 20-25%, ie one in five can die. At the same time, according to him, mortality from covid is 1%. If you have a hernia, you can walk with it for more than one year, a planned operation can be done even under local anesthesia. But if you do not operate in time, then there may be restrictions and the operation will be much more dangerous.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Other news and notes
Why the operation was canceled
Scheduled operations and hospitalizations in the country have been banned since November 9. This was announced by Chief Sanitary Doctor Viktor Lyashko. He said that hospitals will accept only urgent patients and only patients with coronavirus disease, because the situation is extremely tense not only in Ukraine but also around the world.
By the way, operations were banned only in state and municipal hospitals, but the ban does not apply to private clinics.
The government explained this initiative by the fact that people who are preparing for surgery and are in hospitals can now become infected with coronavirus. It was also noted that such restrictions will help reduce the burden on doctors.
What are the exceptions First, it should be noted that this is only a ban on planned operations, ie urgent (urgent) operations are carried out, for example, if a person urgently needs to remove the appendix, this operation will be carried out quietly.
The ban also includes the following exceptions:
- medical care for complicated pregnancy and childbirth;
- medical care for pregnant women, mothers, newborns;
- medical care for patients with cancer;
- palliative care in hospital;
- planned medical care by medical institutions of national level that provide highly specialized care;
- urgent and urgent measures for hospitalization, if as a result of their transfer (postponement) there is a significant risk to human life or health.
We will remind that operations on removal of a hernia, a benign tumor, at a gallstone disease, etc. belong to planned.
What to do if surgery is needed
People who were preparing for planned surgery are seen by doctors. Doctors, in turn, must determine whether there will be risks to human health if the operation is postponed for some time. If there are risks, the operation should be performed. The relevant resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers states that operations are carried out when delaying treatment may worsen the prognosis.
What are the risks of canceling transactions
But such an initiative can be very dangerous. Viktor Serdyuk, President of the All-Ukrainian Council for the Protection of Patients’ Rights and Safety, told us in a comment that no one in Ukraine believed the possibility of infection, but according to the Polish Chief Sanitary Inspector, 30 to 50% of coronavirus infections occur in hospitals, so the Ukrainian government could enter into a dialogue with the population and doctors, cite international statistics and ask people not to go to the hospital without an urgent need.
"The purely human leadership of the country could address the population and say that hospitals are a place of concentration of infection, to ask not to visit them without a serious need. They could advise you to consult your doctor and postpone surgery only if there are no health risks, " -says Victor Serdyuk.
He added that if the seemingly trivial hernia or gallstones do not operate as planned, there may be exacerbations, such as restriction of the hernia. Because of this, the mortality rate increases, so in acute intestinal obstruction and purulent cholecystitis to 20-25%, ie one in five can die. At the same time, according to him, mortality from covid is 1%. If you have a hernia, you can walk with it for more than one year, a planned operation can be done even under local anesthesia. But if you do not operate in time, then there may be restrictions and the operation will be much more dangerous.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Other news and notes