Pediatricians at health clinics in Cartagena are struggling to treat an avalanche of respiratory viruses presented by children in the municipality
The high pressure on the health care system in recent months, added to the shortage of doctors , is taking its toll on health professionals dedicated to Primary Care in the port city.
Such is the case of a pediatrician from one of the health centers in the municipality, who had to leave last week due to anxiety that also had an impact on his physical health.
According to the doctor, he had to double her amount of consultations due to the absence of standby staff.
This care overload that they have been suffering this year “since the end of September”, according to this professional, is due to the epidemic “above all” of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza , added to Covid , which has hit the pediatric population. In this sense, the peak incidence of infections “has been brought forward this year,” she said.
Health proffesionals have indicated that a combination of flu, COVID, and in particular an increase in the cases of the human respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, has been a key factor in this surge of illnesses.
The president of the CESM doctors union in Murcia, María José Campillo, says that “there is more than just one paediatrician who is suffering an anxiety crisis and is even thinking about leaving the job due to being overworked”.
To provide a solution to this problem, the regional government and the union recently signed an agreement that proposes, among other measures, the hiring of 111 family doctors and 12 Pediatricians.
