Landspítali’s ER Lacks Beds, Patients Wait In Ambulances

On Friday night, ambulance workers in the capital area had difficulties getting patients out of ambulances and into Landspítali’s emergency room, RÚV reports. All of the beds in Landspítali’s emergency room at Fossvogur were full.

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The duty officer at the Metropolitan Fire Department overseeing ambulance transportation in the capital area says that the situation that occurred on Friday is not unusual. They stressed, however, that priority patients are always given room in the ER while paramedics provide care to those waiting in the ambulances.

It was reported earlier that fourteen nurses resigned from the emergency department at the end of the month. Some of them resigned due to the pressure on the department.

Runólfur Pálsson, director of Landspítali, described the situation as a big concern, but insisted that a better future is ahead. According to Hildur Dís Kristjánsdóttir, a nurse and assistant head of the emergency department, there is no need for as much staffing in the department as before since the number of patients admitted to the department regularly has decreased. The hospital’s declared goal from September 1st is that no more than 20 patients should be in the emergency room at the same time.