Madrid admits that it advised by mistake not to refer from residences to hospitals

06/04/2020 19:33 – Updated: 06/04/2020 19:44

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The Minister of Health of the Community of Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, has alleged today that at the beginning of March it was sent “by mistake“to the social health centers” a draft “of a protocol that discouraged the referral of elderly people from residences to hospitals in the region. He indicated this in the plenary session of the Madrid Assembly in response to a question from the socialist deputy Purificación Causapié on the criteria that have been used for the preparation of referral protocols for older people with COVID-19 from residences to hospital centers.

Ruiz Escudero has ensured that the criteria that have been used both for the preparation of the protocol and for hospital care of patients with COVID-19 from nursing homes has been “uniquely and exclusively clinical.” “There have been up to six versions of the protocol“, Ruiz Escudero has admitted, who has pointed out that a draft was published in some media” sent by mistake in early March to the social health centers. “

The final protocols for action in residences were sent on March 25 to the socio-health centers, with the consensus of all the Geriatric coordinators of the hospitals in the public network, according to the counselor. In all these documents, according to Ruiz Escudero, it is specified “clearly” to be valued individually each case with clinical criteria, for the transfer to a hospital of cases of residents with terminal illness, who are in palliative care and a high degree of fragility.

“I will not admit, neither you nor anyone else, that it is politically instrumentalized an error that is more than evident, or that they use a case like Parla’s to elevate it to the category level, “because” in addition to missing the truth, it involves other types of responsibilities, “said the Minister of Health. Causapié has referred to four documents “on official paper, signed by the director general of Socio-Sanitary Coordination, Carlos Mur”, in which “he does not put a draft.”

In these documents, referral criteria are established that have to do with the situation of disability, with dependency, with cognitive deterioration and it is stated “clearly” that “they will not be derived”, the socialist deputy highlighted. Causapié has stated that “this is an element of discrimination and violation of fundamental rights”, as denounced by the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI) and family organizations, which have brought him to court.

Subsequently, the Vice President of the Central Government, Pablo Iglesias (Unidas Podemos), has regretted that they ask for responsibilities for the deaths of the elderly in nursing homes, when it was the Executive of the Community of Madrid, chaired by Isabel Díaz Ayuso (PP), who, according to him, gave the order not to hospitalize patients in nursing homes. During his intervention before the commission on Social Rights and Comprehensive Policies on Disability, Iglesias has indicated a document “which shows that there were orders from the Madrid Government to reject the transfer of the elderly to health centers when the peak of the pandemic occurred.

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