COVID emphazises the objectives of Emergency Medicine Day
The theme this year comes from the observation that in many places in the world there is a shortage of specialists in emergency medicine, both because there is no specialty and because the number of doctors with competence in emergency medicine is too small due to economical restrictions and poor awareness of what is needed by public investors.
The same counts for nurses and other personnel and for the resources and the organization of Emergency Services, where in many countries the equipment and pathways are insufficient and unsafe for the population.
We could never even imagine that in a few months, something would happen that put such a big accent on our request.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made this theme appropriate and evident like never before.
In those countries that have been hit hard by the SARS-Cov2, the Emergency medical system, both pre-hospital and emergency departments, had to face a situation of disaster medicine, growing exponentially for several weeks. They had to organize pathways, implement the correct use of PPE, allocate, and manage resources, human and material, manage critical patients, adapting to the events according to safety and efficacy.
It is clear that where there is sufficient personnel, competent in all these tasks, where the structure is well equipped, modern and prepared for unexpected big events, everything went smoother and the outcome was better.
It is time that we and you all make our voice loud to ask for more resources, more doctors, nurses, and structure, for the Emergency Medical System.