The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted hospitals around the world. Many hospitals have scaled back or postponed non-emergency care. This has medical consequences for the people served by the hospitals, and it has financial consequences for the hospitals. Health and social systems across the globe are struggling to cope. The situation is especially challenging in humanitarian, fragile and low-income country contexts, where health and social systems are already weak. Health facilities in many places are closing or limiting services. Services to provide sexual and reproductive health care risk being sidelined, which will lead to higher maternal mortality and morbidity.
General implications
Researchers could show that due to cancelled or postponed surgical procedures, 28.4 Million procedures had been postponed during the peak 12 weeks of the pandemic. 2.3 Million cancer surgerie were expected to be postponed. Estimates could show that 72.3% of all surgical procedures would be cancelled and that benign disease and orthopaedics would be the most affected procedures. On the other hand, a study published by the same group could show that postoperative pulmonary complications and mortality were significantly elevated in operated patients with SARS-CoV-2-infection. Thus a careful balance would have to be found between the risks of the operation and the risk of delaying the latter.
Asia
has rapidly constructed new hospitals to accommodate a large number of beds. According to doctors in Tokyo, Japan, the state of emergency is not enough for stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
North America
In the United States, hospitals financially rely on "surgeries, scans and other well-reimbursed services to privately insured patients"; when non-emergency care was discontinued during the pandemic, causing severe financial problems. For example, the Mayo Clinic's revenue had a net gain of $1 billion in 2019, but had to cancel surgeries in 2020 and therefore expects to lose nearly $1 billion during 2020. The federal government passed the CARES Act which is giving $30 billion to hospitals nationwide. 261 hospital systems laid off or furloughed over 100,000 employees by May 21.
Africa
Doctors and nurses working in public hospitals went on strike over lack of PPE's, to use while treating patients. "Some countries like Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast have insurance for their health workers and have promised to provide them with allowances."
On female staff
Globally, women make up 70 percent of workers in the health and social sector. Women are playing a disproportionate role in responding to the disease, including as front linehealthcare workers. In some countries, COVID-19 infections among female health workers are twice that of their male counterparts.
