"We cannot remain silent without betraying the Hippocratic Oath," doctors with the Paris region's public hospital service (AP-HP) said in a statement.
"We may be forced to choose between all patients, whether they suffer from Covid-19 or not, with priority for adults in a critical condition...in order to save as many lives as possible," said the 41 signatories of the statement, adding that they had never been faced with such a situation – even during the peak of the first Covid-19 wave in 2020.
L'agence régionale de santé (ARS) a demandé aux hôpitaux d'Île-de-France "d'anticiper une montée en charge du nombre de lits" de soins critiques avec un objectif de 2.200 lits disponibles pour accueillir les malades du Covid-19 #AFP pic.twitter.com/XtytqOtq85
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) March 23, 2021
Cancellations
The statement goes on to say that selection of patients has, in fact, already begun with the cancellation or postponement of non-critical surgery, where patients suffering from acute Covid-19 symptoms are brought forward on the waiting list.
The Ile-de-France regional health agency said it plans to increase the total number of intensive care beds available to Covid patients to 2,200, but no date was given.
