Ramona lives in the center of Madrid, but took the opportunity of having dinner with some friends in the south of the capital to go to the emergency room in a hospital is less crowded, the of Fuenlabrada. It comes by a back pain sufferer since a few weeks and it takes three hours waiting to take a urine test. “I thought that here there would be less people and that it wouldn't take much,” account from one of the multiple waiting rooms. It is Wednesday and the emergency rooms of this, and many other hospitals, are overcrowded. The beep of the screen that announces the number of the next patient is mixed with the coughing and sneezing of those who are still waiting. It is the turn of Ramona. “To see if now it doesn't take much. Before it came up for a flu, but lately it takes a lot. Because step”.

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Grows the abuse of the emergency to a health care system saturated A doctor and a nurse from the emergency room to 550,000 inhabitants,

Ramona rises with difficulty and goes to his query. While, Noelia devours his novel. “This time I came prepared because emergencies always wait too,” explains the madrid-based holding with mimo your left hand. Their dogs were fought, and he hurt when he tried to separate them. It just has a couple of scratches but decided to come to “check that all is well”, given that the surgery of the hand recently.

Both Noelia as Ramona have been classified as little urgent in the triage system used in Spanish hospitals. Once the patient arrives, a brief account of what happens and, depending on the urgency, you will be serving with more or less urgency. Thus, the resuscitation will find attention immediately. The emergency will be cared for between 10 and 15 minutes after his arrival, the emergency, before the first hour. And the less urgent or non-urgent may wait between two and four hours.

For doctors, is widespread the feeling of caring for people without major emergencies in the service of urgency. “I there are times that even I take photos to the reasons why they come,” says a doctor who prefers not to be identified. “The number of patients who come to emergency but you should go for primary care is very high”. Some of the descriptions by patient: “Shortness of breath, a runny nose and fever since a couple of days,” “foreign body Sensation” or “Refers to low back pain, seen yesterday for back pain”.

“at The end we will take dinner here,” says Mary, the mother of Noel. “But it still is faster to do so through the emergency department. If I go to the doctor, between that give me appointment, I was told to do an x-ray and then treat me again... I will be a week,” adds Noel. “Although I know that sometimes we do not make responsible use, I'm going to where I do something more complete and can go forward,” admits Mary with eyes attentive to the screen. “Oh, runs daughter, your turn!”. Noelia gives the book to his mother and enters a query.

Date Of Update: 11 January 2020, 19:00