COVID-19 has taken the top priority at medical facilities, with testing and treatment. To keep hospital wards from being overrun and to prevent the spread of infection, other appointments and treatments have been compromised, cancelled or postponed indefinitely. As the province prepares to slowly return to normal, hospitals will face a daunting task: continuing treatments of COVID-19 while pushing through the backlog of other patient treatments.
Preparing for COVID-19
Local hospitals responded quickly to the pandemic’s arrival in the city of Toronto. Knowing that the city’s density and high population would make it particularly vulnerable, they prepared for their wards to be overwhelmed with patients. They cancelled surgeries, pushed back treatments and asked that citizens only seek medical treatment when necessary. Anyone who needed to talk to a doctor could receive their consultation over the phone or set up a virtual appointment through video chat.
Hospital Backlogs All over Toronto
The strategy helped them keep as many beds free for COVID-19 patients. It would make sure that they would not reach their limits with hospital beds and become dramatically understaffed. That situation could quickly spiral out of control.
Scheduled surgeries were disproportionately affected by this decision. According to Global News, approximately 400,000 elected surgeries across the country will be cancelled/delayed because of COVID-19 by mid-June 2020. There will be an estimated 28 million surgeries affected by the circumstances around the world. Hospitals are very concerned about leaving the surgery backlog unaddressed for much longer since the delays put people’s health and often their lives at risk.
Keeping these hospital restrictions in place also encourages citizens to avoid medical attention, even when they need it. The Toronto Star uncovered a trend of citizens avoiding the emergency room at their own detriment because they are afraid of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. While hospitals are allowing patients to enter for emergencies, everyday citizens are still afraid and unsure about crossing the threshold. They may not get the treatment they need until the facilities are easing restrictions and making things feel like they’re “back to normal.”
Responding to the Backlog
As of May, Ontario released a plan to resume scheduled surgeries and procedures while controlling the hospital capacity to deal with COVID-19. The process is gradual, but it’s inevitable that hospitals will be struggling to handle the complexities of a pandemic along with an intense backlog of appointments, procedures and patient visits. That’s why medical professionals need to use expert medical parcel delivery services that guarantees that orders will arrive safely and on-time.
Hospitals will be taking part in a difficult balancing act, so they can’t have delays and delivery mistakes tripping up their efforts. They need this essential service to run smoothly. If deliveries of test samples or equipment are sluggish or lost, they will have a much harder time pushing through this obstacle. R Courier will make sure that this problem doesn’t happen.
Our responsible medical parcel delivery services will make sure that packages get to their destinations swiftly so that professionals can push through the backlog and help the public. Make your order and set the service priority online. Track your order to watch it en route. Use the innovative ETA Board to see exactly when your package is expected to arrive. You will be covered every step of the way.
So, get in touch today whether you need to have test samples for patients waiting on results sent to a lab, a supply of PPE delivered to a clinic or new equipment sent to the surgical ward. Our couriers are ready for any job that allows frontline workers to keep doing theirs.
The backlog is not going to disappear within a few weeks. It will take months — possibly years — for hospitals to fully catch up to the number of surgeries, procedures and appointments that were cancelled from COVID-19. Fast and safe deliveries can make reaching this goal a little easier.