Andina

Health Min: Peru faces very tough 2nd COVID-19 wave, health care system gets stressed out

12:32 | Lima, Feb. 4.

Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti on Thursday affirmed that Peru is going through a very tough second wave of COVID-19, adding that the health care system is getting stressed out because the increase of new cases at hospitals is huge.

"We are going through a very tough second wave (of COVID-19), the increase of cases is enormous, and the health care system is getting stressed out," she stated.

Remarks were made during the inauguration ceremony of the Outpatient Cancer Treatment Center of the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases (INEN) in Lima, led by Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti.

The minister noted that —unlike the first wave— the health care system has now learned to strengthen the primary care level, as well as the care of people with pathologies different from those produced by COVID-19 and with chronic conditions that pose a high risk during the pandemic.

"In the first stage of this pandemic, we closed everything we could in an attempt to avoid further infections, and that included primary care facilities, which complicated the provision of care for many people with long-standing pathologies, mainly with cancer," she explained.

With this second wave, she said, the health care system is changing and aims to monitor patients with non-COVID-19 health issues.

In this sense, Mazzetti emphasized that, despite this reality, health professionals are working hard in different parts of Peru.

New INEN facilities

The high-ranking official pointed out that the inauguration of its new tower will allow INEI to make use of nearly 13,000 equipment items of different type, which are being implemented little by little for quality care of patients with cancer.


(END) LIT/RMB


Publicado: 4/2/2021