Health system collapse in Montenegro

PODGORICA -- All capacities have been filled in the General Hospital in Niksic, which is a COVID center for the northwestern part of Montenegro, it was announced last night.

Source: Beta, Tanjug Wednesday, 16.09.2020. | 13:37

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EPA-EFE Oliver Hoslet

The number of people infected with coronavirus is drastically growing every day in Montenegro, so that another 161 cases were registered on Tuesday, and two people died.

A new zone has been opened in the hospital for lung diseases in Brezovik near Nikšić, so that the admission of patients with COVID symptoms has continued.

Dr Dušanka Milatović told the media that they sent 16 patients with a mild to moderate clinical picture to the hospital in Brezovik.

Niksic General Hospital is a respiratory center with 80 beds for the northwestern part of Montenegro.

Tonight, relatives of people suffering from COVID gathered in front of the Nikšić hospital, waiting to be hospitalized. Some of them have been waiting for hospitalization since the morning. Tanja Jovanović, the daughter of one of the patients, told the media that her father has been waiting for admission to the hospital since this morning.

She stated that her father was told that it was a more difficult case, that he could not be sent to Brezovik and that they were waiting for a place in the Niksic department.

Officials claim otherwise

This morning, a notification arrived stating that the problems caused by the sudden large influx of patients with coronavirus in the Niksic hospital have been resolved.

Director of the Clinical Center of Montenegro Dr Jevto Erakovic and representatives of the Crisis Medical Staff Dr Nermin Abdic and Dr Hasib Lukac visited medical institutions in Niksic late last night and said that the health system of Montenegro is functioning at full capacity, but that citizens must respect epidemiological measures and so reduce the spread of the virus.

"We were convinced of the great organization of the Niksic Hospital, the expertise of doctors and midwives, and we saw that all patients who requested hospitalization were hospitalized, and there are still vacancies," Erakovic said.

He pointed out that the health system of Montenegro last night once again showed that it can function in the right way and that any possible future influx of patients to the Niksic hospital will be relieved by placing patients in other health institutions.

"However, this is a great warning and alarm for all citizens of Niksic who have to change their behavior patterns from tomorrow. Niksic is in a dangerous situation and only with the responsibility of the citizens of Niksic can we avoid serious consequences," Dr Erakovic said after visiting the hospital last night.

Dr Jevto Eraković announced that the Clinical Center of Montenegro decided to immediately hand over one mobile digital X-ray machine to the Nikšić Hospital so that all patients who need lung imaging could be treated on time, the RTCG portal reported.