High Covid hospitalizations delay surgeries
Hospitals across Greece are delaying surgeries to free up bed space in the face of growing concerns over hospital capacity constraints.
The decision by the Health Ministry, taken amid an influx of Covid-19 patients, will mostly affect selective surgeries and procedures which are expected to be scaled back by up to 80 percent.
According to a memo sent by deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga to the directors of the country’s health regions, patients who require emergency surgical intervention will be exempt from the measure.
The Athens-Piraeus Hospital Doctors Association (EINAP) issued a statement denouncing the decision.
The number of new Covid-19 infections jumped to 8,100 on Tuesday after 7,287 a day before, based on official figures.
Deaths from the coronavirus disease stood at 91, after recording a year-high in daily fatalities on Monday with 105, while the number of intubations eased to 597 from 608 the day before.
A total of 17,517 Covid-related deaths have been recorded since the start of the pandemic in Greece.
