Munich (dpa / lby) – In view of a rampant wave of respiratory infections in children, Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) is considering temporarily suspending the lower limits for nursing staff in children’s clinics. Due to the exceptionally high number of patients and illness-related absences among nursing staff, the clinics should, in his opinion, be able to deviate from the regular nursing staff keys for a limited period of time if this is necessary to care for the patients, the ministry announced on Wednesday in Munich.
“We now need solutions as quickly as possible. And in view of the drama of the exceptional situation described, we must also consider undesirable measures,” explained Holetschek. For example, older children or those with problems that are not specific to children, such as broken bones, could also be cared for in adult wards. “And from my point of view, the temporary deployment of nursing staff who work regularly in adult wards should not be taboo in children’s wards, so that the pediatric nurses can concentrate on the younger patients.”
Holetschek announced that he would shortly be discussing these and other suggestions with experts in child and adolescent medicine. The doctors in Bavaria are sounding the alarm because a particularly large number of children, often very young, are currently becoming seriously ill, often with a respiratory syncytial virus infection (RS virus). Because of the situation in the care of young patients, the opposition wants to bring emergency motions to the state parliament on Thursday.
