Covid-19 'unmasked' existing problems in Irish healthcare – Irish Examiner

Share Article

Paediatrician Peter Lachman says studies are now beginning to show the impact of the pandemic on children. Stock picture
The Irish health services did “relatively well” during Covid-19 but, as in other countries, the pandemic unmasked existing problems, a renowned patient safety expert has said.
Peter Lachman of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), was one of nine international experts who consulted on a new World Health Organization (WHO) report on the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for patient safety.
Dr Lachman said the impact is only starting to be understood.
“Ireland did very well early on [in the pandemic], then opened up over Christmas [2020] which led to our numbers going sky-high, then we clamped down again,” he said.
“We did well on some things and not so well on others. We have done relatively well when compared with other countries.” 
The WHO analysed global studies on patient safety, picking out 10 common observations.
“Covid-19 was an event which around the world unmasked problems which were there already rather than creating them necessarily,” he said.
“The findings start with safety problems — we’ve had safety problems in Ireland but things are getting better.  There is a good strategy coming on. I’ve worked with hospitals around the country on this. It’s no worse than other countries.”
A paediatrician who previously worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, he said studies are now starting on the impact of lockdowns on children here. Dr Lachman said: 
So what happened is, during the Covid period because of lockdowns, a lot of childhood infections went away. 
“Throughout the country, attendances at the emergency rooms went down.
“What happened to those children? They were at home, the mortality rate didn’t go up, but they just weren’t going to hospitals. 
“I think isolation decreases the infection rates.”
Dr Lachman pointed to a new UK report finding that Type 2 diabetes rates increased among children.
“Was it due to obesity? Was it due to lack of exercise, or to Covid itself? Over time we are going to find out the impact Covid has had on overall health,” he said.

The effects of health shutdowns are also now emerging.
“That is really of concern because, at the very beginning, no one knew how infectious it was,” said Dr Lachman.
“Person-centered care decreased around the world. At that stage, international organisations were very concerned that people were dying alone, and families were separated.”
More positively, the rapid growth of telemedicine seems to be here to stay which, he said, could go a long way toward tackling lengthy waiting lists.
However, for health workers, the pandemic also revealed pressures seen as “manageable kind-of” before, said Dr Lachman: 
There has been some amazing work by the health workers in Ireland in responding to Covid. 
“That is a big positive, the negative on that is there is a lot of stress and burnout that goes with it. The healthcare services need to face up to that reality, staff worked really hard and that can cause stress.” 

More in this section
Sign up to to get the latest news direct to your inbox daily at 1pm
Puzzles hub





Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from 

Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.

Bespoke political podcast series from
Analysis
Sunday, August 14, 2022 – 10:00 PM
Monday, August 15, 2022 – 12:00 PM
Monday, August 15, 2022 – 12:00 PM
© Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712.

source

You might also like

Surviving 2nd wave of corona
COVID-19

Surviving The 2nd Wave of Corona

‘This too shall pass away’ this famous Persian adage seems to be defeating us again and again in the case of COVID-19. Despite every effort

@voguewellness