Starting tomorrow, it will be mandatory to wear a mask in health centers (primary care and hospitals) and recommended in pharmacies and in residences for the elderly and people with disabilities in an attempt to avoid the collapse of the health system as a result of the seasonal flu epidemic. The Ministry of Health today approves mandatory use throughout the territory, even against the majority of the communities - including five of the six (Catalonia, supports the measure) that have already imposed it -, meeting last Monday in a plenary session extraordinary of the Interterritorial Health Council. The measure, however, has the full support of health professionals, patients and scientific societies.
Minister Mónica García gave the autonomies a period of 48 hours to present allegations regarding her proposal to make the use of the mask mandatory. And that deadline ends at noon today, so from that time on it will be known exactly if the use of masks is extended to other spaces or if a specific mechanism is used to speed up sick leave in the midst of the epidemic wave of the flu (the three-day 'self-discharge' that the minister spoke of is, for the moment, only a proposal to be debated with the Ministries of Labor and Social Security and with social agents).
The arguments of Health are clear, that the health system is very stressed and will continue to be so in the coming days due to the flu (more intense in this campaign) and the need to provide legal coverage that has already adopted this decision (Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Canary Islands, Asturias and Aragon). The majority of councilors do not share this ministry's proposal, although according to their arguments, more because of the form of management than because of the content itself.
Health justifies the decision to mandatory use of the mask in health centers in that "at the moment, we are still in an ascending phase and it is likely that it will take a few more weeks until the epidemic curve begins to decline. The severity data of "The flu so far indicates severity percentages similar to previous seasons, both in ICU admissions and deaths. However, due to the intense circulation, the impact on the health of the population can be high."
For this reason, "as long as the current levels of transmission are maintained and with the aim of reinforcing measures for the prevention and control of these infections, as well as reducing their impact on the population and the healthcare system," it decrees the universal use of masks in health care centers (hospitals and primary care)". This measure has "the objective of reducing the transmission of these viruses and protecting people at risk of complications associated with infection who go to these centers or are hospitalized, in addition to protecting the health of health workers".
And it clarifies that this universal use "may be excused in those areas where there is verbal and/or gestural interaction that is important in the approach or treatment with the patient."
Residential centers for the elderly and people with disabilities are the environments where the most vulnerable people live, "although the universal use of masks is not recommended to care for the well-being of the elderly both physically and emotionally, it is considered necessary to take additional precautions to protect residents and avoid outbreaks, especially in situations of high circulation of respiratory viruses such as the one we are experiencing at the moment," he points out.
Furthermore, to reduce transmission at the population level, "we must insist on the importance of hygienic measures (when coughing or sneezing, covering the mouth and nose with the elbow flexed, using disposable tissues, and throwing them away after use, avoiding touching oneself). eyes, nose and mouth) or hand washing and proper ventilation of interior spaces must be guaranteed. "To this end, communities will issue ventilation recommendations for work and educational environments, as well as ventilation protocols for public centers, with the aim of guaranteeing the correct ventilation of spaces," the document states.
Regarding sick leave, which is one reason why a person with a mild respiratory condition inevitably needs to go to a health center, remember that measures were already carried out during the Covid pandemic. to the reduction of bureaucracy linked to the issuance and processing of temporary disability, so as to reduce the impact on Primary Care family medicine consultations. For this reason, it asks "each of the institutional levels involved to work, in the exercise of their competency framework and in collaboration with the necessary organizations, to simplify the temporary disability procedures in a way that guarantees the possibility of workers access rest from work in the case of needing it due to a condition of mild, short-term illness; alleviate the pressure on health services, especially in the area of Primary Care, and carry out "these measures without negatively impacting any other body." manager".
