Healthcare: 48 hours for examining covid patients over 60 years of age

- The draft regulation proposes that in the case of patients over 60 years of age referred to home isolation, the primary health care physician should advise the patient on the basis of physical examination assesses the patient's health - the regulation provides.

The test may take place at a primary care clinic or during a home visit to the patient. The document "does not specify the place where the physical examination is to be carried out, because it is the primary care physician who decides, based on the patient's clinical condition, where the advice should be given". - If the deadline expires on a statutory holiday or on a Saturday, the advice is held on the next day, which is not a holiday or a Saturday - we read in the justification.

Against the regulation - even before it was published, since Friday, organizations associating primary care physicians have been protesting, emphasizing that the new standard of care for the oldest covid patients means a deterioration of access for all other groups of patients (including seniors, chronically ill, only that COVID-negative). Infected patients will be given priority, even if their medical condition is not hazardous. In addition, doctors - also specialists - point out to the minister that a stethoscope examination will not decide whether an infected person does not develop interstitial pneumonia.

The Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, believes that in order to meet the new standard of care for people 60+ who will have a positive test result (there are about 9.5 million in Poland, every fourth person is not vaccinated), "good will and organization of work ”and advises GPs to make home visits after 6 p.m. when clinics finish their work.