The National Hospital Survey showed that in the case of heart attack patients they must wait at least one hour to be given the first antihypertensive medication.
Monitoring carried out by the National Hospital Survey (ENH) in the country’s main centers during the month of May 2024 showed that from the time a patient arrives at the emergency room with pneumonia until they receive medication, the average waiting time was almost two hours.
According to the report, in the case of pneumonia, there is no set standard time to treat the disease, but it is considered that the range should be between 30 minutes to one hour as acceptable.
The monitoring indicated that there was a slight improvement in the treatment of the disease in hospitals, since in 2023 the wait for medical attention was three hours.
“There may be an improvement compared to the same month in 2023, but the waiting time for treatment of pneumonia is still far from adequate,” the ENH report said.
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The survey also showed that heart attack patients must wait at least one hour before receiving the first antihypertensive medication.
Although the time was reduced by more than half compared to the results of May 2023, it is still at the limit of acceptable times in an adequate hospital service, which worldwide ranges between 30 and 45 minutes.
The ENH explained that the time taken to treat heart attacks versus pneumonia has historically always been longer. Although both conditions are acute and must be treated as quickly as possible, in the case of heart attacks, rapid and immediate attention can completely change the development of the event.
The National Hospital Survey highlighted that although there was a significant improvement, “we are still at the maximum limit of what would be expected from an adequate hospital service,” adding that these data correspond only to the month of May 2024, so it is important, in order to understand the real capacity of hospitals, to view these data over the months to have a more accurate picture of the situation.
