Lucian Cardoso and Moasir Agustini’s sweet anticipation of the twins Miguel and Mabel has turned into a mixture of anxiety and uncertainty. A birth due this Sunday (19) has been delayed due to a shortage of neonatal beds at the Intensive Care Unit (HRO) (Regional Hospital do Oeste) in Chapeco, west of Santa Catarina, and there are still no more date.

Lucian and Moasir are in the HRC, where they are waiting for a decision on the transfer. – Photo: Personal Archive/Disclosure/ND

The couple lives in the interior of the municipality, on the Marcon line, and are awaiting the decision of the medical team to find out when and where the twins will be born. That’s because, according to Moasir, the wife will need to be transferred to another hospital in the state, which has two newborn beds. “We still don’t know when and where she will be transferred, it’s an agonizing wait,” he says.

Luciana is in her ninth month of pregnancy, and in her last month she discovered that her daughter Mabel has a cyst and her umbilical artery is at the limit, making it necessary to deliver as soon as possible.

Lucian and Moasir await the arrival of the twins. – Photo: Personal Archive/Disclosure/ND

Like Luciana and Moasir, other parents face the same suffering in the HRC. There are five vacancies in pediatric intensive care units and 10 vacancies in neonatal intensive care units, all of which are filled.

Four babies are waiting for beds in intensive care units on Monday, according to the hospital. Makeshift beds have been installed to assist in less severe cases. The most serious are aimed at vacancies in other cities.

“This is an alarming situation. The hospital has been abandoned by the state. We are suffering. It’s not just my family, there are several in the same situation. We were disgusted. Several fathers and mothers got lost in the hospital, not knowing what to do. These are newborn children, they need attention,” says the father.

Moasir stresses that the work of the medical and nursing staff is going well, but they are working with little “ammunition”, as the difficulty lies in the lack of beds. “They are doing their best under possible conditions. We are very grateful for the excellent service provided by these professionals, but we feel insecure not knowing what will happen. We are awaiting a decision from the governor.”

Miguel and Mabel’s room is ready for the arrival of the little ones. – Personal File/Information Disclosure/ND

Everything is ready for the kids in the house. – Personal File/Information Disclosure/ND

The father also cites concern about the fact that children are born in another city, far from home. According to him, the postponement causes inconvenience and increases the uncertainty that it is not known how everything will turn out. “The doctor was able to give us a position today, I hope that the situation will be resolved and that my children will be born safely.”

All pregnant women who need to deliver a baby and there is a chance the baby will need a neonatal intensive care unit are under Chapeco’s care, according to Dr. Kelly Patricia Fuhr, HRO’s neonatal intensive care unit coordinator. “If the mother is able, healthy and has a vacancy, she is sent for transfer.”

Status of beds in the state

The SUS ICU bed table published by the government of Santa Catarina shows that of the state’s 176 active neonatal ICU beds, only six are vacant, one in the Midwest and Serra region, and three in the North and Northeast Plateau. two in the south. In other regions, beds are 100% full.

• Foz do Rio Itajaí: 15 beds (100% occupancy);
• Large Florianopolis: 36 beds (100% occupancy);
• Grande Oeste: 18 beds (10% occupancy);
• Midwest and Serra Catarinense: 25 beds (96% occupancy);
• North and Northeast Plateau: 47 beds (93.62% occupancy);
• South: 19 beds (89.47% occupancy);
• Vale do Itajaí: 16 beds (100% occupancy).

Prosecutors take action

The state public ministry has filed a public civil suit against the state government to guarantee ICU beds. The case was filed last Friday afternoon (17) through the 3rd Chapeco County Attorney’s Office.

The Ministry of State aims to force the state to buy, when needed, vacant beds in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, in private units in the region or state until there are vacancies in beds covered by SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde), with caution at the Regional do Oeste hospital or with a safe trip to a nearby regional office.

One of the problems faced by the HRC and Hospital da Crianza, in addition to the lack of beds, is the lack of specialists. Vacancies are open, but there are no registered candidates. Among the difficulties reported by hospital consultants is competition with vacancies for specialists in the private sector. Late payroll reports are also cited as a hindrance.

What does the state government say?

The Secretary of State for Health said in a note last Saturday (18) that all patients awaiting transfer to the intensive care unit are receiving full care, as well as patients hospitalized in intermediate and inpatient beds.

The text also states that in the Western Region, the Department is in direct contact with health service providers who have reported difficulties in expanding due to a lack of specialized specialists in the region.

“Newborn beds in the intensive care unit have recently opened in Curitibanos. That being said, it is important to emphasize that, unlike the private network, public hospitals have a capillary system that allows beds to be distributed across the state according to the needs of each patient.”

He continues: “It must also be emphasized that the situation faced by public and private hospitals, which even caused the state government to declare a state of emergency at the beginning of the month, is a reflection of the low vaccination coverage of various diseases, especially influenza (Influenza) and Covid-19. . Because of this, SES is calling for vaccinations, especially for children and the elderly, who are more vulnerable, to be updated by following the country’s vaccination protocol.”