Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Poland - 5 new deaths, shocking news about Sweden

Poland has 301 new and confirmed cases of coronavirus infection for a total of 19,569, according to the Ministry of Health. 5 infected people have died for a total of 953.

The use of the face masks will still be required next week. 

From May 25th, day care facilities, day care homes and senior clubs, support homes, community self-help homes and occupational therapy workshops will be able to resume operations.

Sweden: While the European media claim that a high number, half, of deaths among seniors in care homes may be a result of institutional reluctance to admit patients to the hospital or, as Euronews put it, lower level of education and training among nurses providing elderly care we hare quite different and more alarming story, 

Swedish daily "Dagens Nyheter" reports that many seniors in nursing homes receive morphine, which inhibits breathing, instead of Covid-19 treatment. Increasing numbers of workers are also coming forward to criticize regional health care authorities for protocols which they say discourage care home workers from sending residents into hospital, and prevent care home and nursing staff from administering oxygen without a doctor's approval, either as part of acute or palliative (end-of-life) services. 

According to BBC national guidelines suggest that elderly patients, whether in state or privately run care homes, should not automatically be taken to hospital for treatment.

All of that suggests that Sweden's authorities prefer active euthanasia of elder people instead of hospital treatment.

Swedish doctor who wanted to remain anonymous told Dagens Nyheter: "Many patients with Covid-19 are treated in a way that is the case with people with terminal cancer who have little life left. When used in patients with oxygen deficiency, it significantly accelerates their death. Relatives often do not know anything about this, because visiting is prohibited. Ethical aspects are not raised, but I believe it is illegal and that some of these patients could survive if they were given oxygen therapy."

Maybe we should be careful in our praise of Sweden's approach to the crisis.