Emergency hotlines have yet to be alerted: Uninsured people avoid coming to clinics for fear of contracting the virus - causing worsening of their condition • "Must not be delayed at home"

In the shadow of the Corona: A considerable drop in inquiries into "pre-emergency medicine" centers in recent weeks. The policyholders refrain from urgent treatment in the emergency centers for fear of being infected with Corona, which is why they are delayed at home and their medical condition deteriorates. "Not yet" data shows that there has been a 40 percent drop in calls to focal points. The emergency system is mainly troubled by the neglect of cardiac problems and the suspicion of a stroke that could end - if not death - with irreversible damage.

Photo: Ministry of Health

Danny Fayman (37) from Kiryat Gat reached the "hot spot" after suffering from severe shortness of breath for three days, preferring not to go to the hotline for fear of contracting the virus. After further aggravation of his condition, and when it became clear that he could no longer stay at his home, Feiman was led by his family to the "yet" hotline. 

Dr. Hamza Tori and paramedic Danny Ling got him in focus. "He came conscious, with cough and shortness of breath. Clinical indices indicated severe distress. We started treatment and testing right away, it was connected to oxygen and the intensive care unit was called in, ”they say.

Jana Khutinsky, Danny's sister who serves as a nurse at Barzilai Hospital, says: "Shortly after arriving at Danny's hospital, he suffered cardiac arrest and resuscitation. He was taken into respiratory intensive care, where his condition improved and he woke up and disconnected from the ventilator. " 

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Khutinsky recalls what happened when Payman began to feel bad. "Although I am a nurse in a hospital and my mother is a doctor, we were delayed at home," she recalls. "We were only thinking about Corona and not anything else. We turned to MDA but according to the guidelines only those who were close to a verified patient or who returned from abroad were eligible for a corona test. Because that was not the case, we continued to wait at home but Danny's situation continued to deteriorate, and he started To develop fever, cough and shortness of breath. He is currently hospitalized with acute pneumonia, which is not related to Corona. " 

Dr. David Zlotnik, the national medical director of "Before", explains that "fever, cough and shortness of breath can indicate a wide range of illnesses and medical conditions besides corona, such as regular seasonal flu, asthma attack, pneumonia, heart failure or Heart Attack. All of these require medical diagnosis. It is also not allowed to dwell at home with infants and toddlers, especially if they are less than one year old. " 

According to Khutinsky, they were focused on the Corona's concern, "And we did not think of any other medical conditions. We thought we could treat him at home until it was clear that we could wait no longer. Within minutes of arriving at the call center, intensive care was called and in retrospect that saved my brother's life. He is undergoing thorough testing because the cause of the rapid deterioration that led to cardiac arrest is unclear. " 

Another case of delay in reaching the hotline has been recorded in recent days when she was rushed to a 50-year-old Sderot resident who complained of chest pain. She underwent an ECG and a blood test, the results of which showed that she was in the midst of a heart attack. 

While the medical staff performed the tests, the patient asked them if they suspected that they had been infected with Corona - and who responded negatively. "There were no signs of a virus infection. Although she was in the midst of a heart attack, she was relieved to have a woman who told us, 'At least it's not a corona,'" says paramedic Hanan Krantz, one of the administrators of "not yet" clinics in the south. 

Dr. Zlotnik points out another case, of a 79-year-old woman who fell into her home but did not reach the center for fear of Corona - and continued to suffer from severe pain for a week. "This morning she came to us and X-ray revealed that she had a hip fracture," Dr. Zlotnik said. 

A hip fracture in older people is an urgent medical condition that requires surgery within 48 hours to prevent complications and mortality.

"Every day that goes by and the fracture is not analyzed - the chances of fusion and rehabilitation decrease," explains Dr. Zlotnik. "At this age, no surgery can be a life-threatening deterioration." 

As a result, Dr. Zlotnik calls on the public to take responsibility for their health. "We have had cases of home falls and untreated fractures, people who were cut but stabilized at a focus of a few days, with contaminated wounds and when the incision could no longer be stitched. Corona patients do not come to us and the centers have not yet addressed the urgent cases. I urge the public in the event of a deliberation to reach and be checked at our centers where there is the necessary equipment, including x-rays and advanced blood tests. "