Laurence Dollimore
MALAGA’S Regional Hospital will be cracking down on visitors over coronavirus fears.
It comes after health workers expressed concerns over how easy it was for people to walk in and around the hospital to visit patients and other facilities.
The worries were made clear at a coronavirus meeting yesterday to discuss protocols in case of a confirmed case at the hospital.
Doctors, nurses and other staff said it was too easy for people to enter the site and skip the security controls.
Despite there being security guards, it is not uncommon for people to skip the controls and visit patients in much larger numbers than advised.
In new advice sent to health workers yesterday, the health ministry warned: “Anything that involves increasing the non-essential circulation of people within hospital centres increases the risk of infection.”
Sources from inside yesterday’s meeting told Diario Sur ‘it’s necessary to regulate the entry of visitors and relatives of patients to the hospital’ to prevent possible contagion.
They told the paper: “You cannot allow people to go through any door and move freely around the hospital.
“With the coronavirus crisis we have to maximise entry controls as a preventative measure.
“We have asked the Regional Hospital management to take measures to restrict access to the hospital in cases where it is not necessary.
“Prevention and caution are never too much and with the coronavirus outbreak it is essential to prevent possible infections.”
They also claimed health workers have been leaving the hospital during their breaks in their uniforms to visit nearby bars or restaurants before re-entering in the same clothes.
The sources told Diario Sur: “It is not acceptable for health workers to go outside with the uniform they are wearing in the hospital.
“That must be stopped.”
Spain now has more than 200 cases and has seen at least three deaths from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Click here to read more Health News from The Olive Press.
