The doors in the Prague surgery for the poor will not be torn, some of the visitors are foreigners
Homeless people in health care according to the Salvation Army special approach. “This group of people has experienced a worsening health status compared to the general population, but at the same time they encounter barriers on the part of mainstream medical facilities, which often prevents homeless people from receiving adequate health care,” said František Krupa, National Director of Social Services of the Salvation Army.
As the Salvation Army doctor Andrea Pekárková described, many patients come to the surgery only to get a medical report, but it often happens that doctors need to save patients in serious health.
“I will give a few examples. The patient (foreigner) was brought in by a social worker to obtain an opinion on accommodation. However, during the examination, the skin and eyes turned yellow, so the patient was invited to take blood and a detailed examination by a doctor was performed. He was suspected of having a serious disease of the liver and pancreas, the patient was sent to hospital and is now being treated, “Pekárková described.
Syphilis and untreated fracture
Another foreign patient came with signs of a sexually transmitted disease. “Screening tests were performed in the surgery, a positive test for syphilis was issued, and therefore the patient was sent for treatment, the costs of which she partly contributes herself, we partially pay her. The surgery was also visited by a patient (foreigner) with an untreated fracture of the right upper limb, which she broke more than six months ago and now the limb is motionless and does not fulfill its function. However, the patient has not shown up since the first visit, “the doctor added.
Doctors in the poor surgery usually treat wounds, deal with skin parasitic diseases, but they also test for covid-19 and others.
The surgery for the poor in Prague is located in the Bohuslav Bureš Social Services Center, in Tusarova Street. It is intended for homeless people, socially excluded people, but especially lonely seniors or clients of shelters. Patients may also be sent to the surgery by other medical facilities that are not ready due to the absence of documents, such as insufficient personal hygiene or problems with health insurance.
“Since the start of operations, the state has been visited by 180 different people, 63 of whom were foreign nationals without valid health insurance. The number of visits to the surgery was 290 during the month of operation. The main sources of patients at the moment are social services in Tusarova Street, but we have already been contacted by several other organizations and their employees have started to guide patients on a regular basis, “added Pekárková.
“Such cooperation is very effective, as the accompanying social worker continues to work with the patient on further steps to improve his health,” he says.
There is one doctor working in the surgery, which will soon be filled by another colleague, two nurses and a field assistant. It accompanies patients to other medical facilities, assists in the collection of medicines or assists in the provision of hygiene in low-threshold day centers. The first surgery for the poor was opened four years ago in Ostrava.