Aktuality.sk brought information that drunks occupied five out of eight beds at the emergency room in Bratislava’s Ružinov during a single service. “Some of them are our regular clients,” described the nurse from the hospital. According to her, these people tend to be aggressive and vulgar.
Drunken patients stay in the wards until they sober up and take the place of those who need acute care. “They are blocking doctors and paramedics. Someone else would need their help more,” the paramedic added.
They can’t leave them unattended
Doctors also warn that some intoxicated people may be in a life-threatening condition. “It is not possible to just let them sleep, we have to rule out an accident or other danger,” explained the head of the emergency department of the Bory hospital Július Hodosy.
The detention facilities that could take these patients after examination disappeared in Slovakia in 2004. Their return is being prepared by the Ministry of the Interior and Health. By 2028, they are to propose a new system of financing and functioning of these facilities.
There is more and more alcoholism
Hospitalizations as a result of alcohol use, however, increased again year-on-year. The cause was primarily psychological disorders and behavioral disorders caused by drinking alcohol. More than 2,000 people ended up in the hospital with cirrhosis of the liver.
NCZI also points out that almost 40 percent of people who committed suicide or attempted suicide were under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances.
