Since the beginning of this year, over two hundred patients needing urgent surgery sent by the National Health Service (SNS) have already been operated in hospital of Hospital da Luz Network , while Hospital da Luz Lisboa, the Luz Saúde unit prepared to respond to COVID-19, has already treated over 300 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 , receiving daily COVID patients transferred from public hospitals. “We are rescheduling as far as possible all activity in our units on the periphery of Lisbon (Oeiras, Torres de Lisboa and Amadora), in order to make available qualified nurses and auxiliaries and thus being able to increase the Hospital da Luz Lisboa capacity of internment for these patients”, explains the Luz Saúde CEO, Isabel Vaz , on a reportage for SIC channel broadcasted on January 25. “The next two weeks will bring heavy pressure on all healthcare providers. And the responsibility to assist these more complex patients and to help our SNS colleagues, falls now on those more differentiated units, such as Hospital da Luz Lisboa”, highlighted Isabel Vaz. At the moment, Hospital da Luz Lisboa has more than 77 ward beds and 35 intensive care beds exclusively dedicated to COVID patients, in addition to the 10 intensive care beds for non-COVID patients. The Hospital also has beds dedicated to COVID patients in paediatric internment and intensive care, and circuits dedicated to pregnant women and new mothers with COVID-19 , in the Service of Obstetrics. Finally, the Emergency Unit at Hospital a Luz Lisboa was reconfigured to increase its capacity in the respiratory and non-respiratory circuits, and being able to receive more patients and in better conditions. The reportage by SIC channel – Medicina no Limite The Hospital da Luz Network capacity to respond under the protocols established between Luz Saúde and the public authorities, to support the SNS hospitals in the response to the epidemic, has been raising as the sanitary situation is aggravated, and the need to address it implies the involvement of all health structures in Portugal. On one hand, at Luz Saúde Hospitals, surgeries to SNS patients considered as priority continue to be undertaken every week , namely complex oncologic surgeries, urologic surgeries, cardiothoracic, otorhinolaryngologic and neurosurgeries. “We are treating priority oncologic patients (coming from SNS units), with a very short therapeutic window”, explained to SIC Rui Maio , the clinical director of HL Lisboa. On the other hand, besides those who resort directly to Hospital da Luz Lisboa, arrive daily Covid-19 patients coming from public hospitals of the region, to be interned in ward and in intensive care. “We don’t really care if they are SNS patients or not, for they are all treated the same way. The question is to resize constantly our capacity to provide care, in consistency with those that resort to us”, as explained to SIC José Andrade Gomes , the director of the Department of Internal Medicine. On January 27 alone, Hospital da Luz Lisboa received 19 COVID patients from Hospital Fernando da Fonseca, Amadora, dedicating a specific area of internment to these SNS patients. 200 internment beds The readiness expressed by Luz Saúde near the Ministry of Health to help the public authorities, extends to all other hospitals and clinics of Hospital da Luz Network , totalling at the moment an availability of about two hundred dedicated beds, for COVID and non-COVID patients. Hospital da Luz Arrábida (Vila Nova de Gaia) This unit has a protocol with Hospital de São João for complex oncologic and vascular arterial surgeries requiring the use of intensive care units. This availability has not yet been used. Hospital da Luz Póvoa de Varzim, Hospital da Luz Guimarães, Hospital da Luz Vila Real These three units are receiving patients of Internal Medicine – a total of around 18 , up to date – and also performing surgeries for hospitals of the North of the country. Hospital da Luz Aveiro This unit celebrated an agreement to provide 8 internment beds in Medicine, that have been permanently occupied. Hospital da Luz Coimbra This unit has also celebrated an agreement to provide 6 internment beds in Medicine, that are fully occupied, having expressed the readiness to perform surgeries for Hospital Distrital da Figueira da Foz and Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra. Hospital da Luz Setúbal This unit has celebrated an agreement to provide 7 beds in Medicine, that are being used. Although not initially envisaged, it has exceptionally ensured the internment of Covid patients. Moreover, a protocol is now under discussion to perform 570 surgeries to SNS users. Hospital da Luz Clínica de Odivelas, Hospital da Luz Oeiras These units have a protocol with Hospital Beatriz Ângelo for surgical activity, having already carried out 155 surgeries to patients of this public hospital. Hospital da Luz Torres de Lisboa This unit has celebrated a protocol with Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte for surgical activity, having already carried out 23 surgeries , mostly in the vascular area. Hospital do Mar Lisboa This unit has made available 30 recovery beds of the National Network of Continuing Integrated Care (RNCCI), presently all occupied. It has also been helping Hospital da Luz Lisboa reallocating patients and making available nursing and medical auxiliary resources.
