Italy’s Lombardy asks retired health workers to join coronavirus fight

By R

| 18 mars 2020

6 Partages

The northern region of Lombardy, on the frontline of Italy’s battle against the coronavirus, appealed to recently retired doctors and nurses on Wednesday to return to work and help colleagues overwhelmed by the crisis.

Italy is the worst affected country in the world outside of China, with 2,503 dead and 31,506 confirmed cases since Feb. 21. Around 65% of all the deaths have been recorded in Lombardy and hospitals there are at breaking point, officials say.

Adding to the problem, doctors, nurses and hospital porters have themselves fallen sick, and some have died.

The Gimbe Foundation research group, using data supplied by the national health authority, said that between March 11-17, some 2,529 health workers had tested positive for coronavirus – 8.3% of the national total.

“I make a heartfelt appeal to all the doctors, nurses and medical personnel who have retired in the last two years … to help us in this emergency,” Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana told a news conference.

He also urged staff in private medical facilities and first aid specialists to step forward as the region rushed to convert the Fiera Milano exhibition center into a makeshift hospital to add badly needed intensive care beds.

Underscoring the urgent need for more medical staff, the government announced on Tuesday it was rushing 10,000 student doctors into service nine months ahead of time, scrapping their final exams in an effort to relieve the mounting pressure.

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Italy’s Lombardy asks retired health workers to join coronavirus fight

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