The Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) showed that in some hospitals overcrowding is not just a problem of the emergency services.
According to the hospital occupancy rate, hospitals Calderón Guardia, San Rafael de Alajuela, San Carlos and Enrique Baltodano, exceeded 95% of occupancy during 2016. At a national level, hospitals reached 83.3% of occupancy rate, a similar value to the one recommended internationally.
These hospitals are in high demand and some of them have implemented some strategies of care for patients with relatively short stays to make greater use of the beds. That, in the end, means that occupancy rates are high,”
said Ana Lorena Solís, head of statistics at the CCSS.
In Calderón Guardia Hospital general occupancy for 2016 was 98%. For example, the services of medicine and neonatology had a percentage of 110%, exceeding their capacity.
Other services such as surgery and gynecology occupied 95% and 96% of their capacities.
In San Rafael de Alajuela Hospital, general occupancy was 95%. Services such as neonatology and obstetrics had an occupancy of 133% and 101%, respectively.
In Liberia, Enrique Baltodano Hospital had an overall occupancy of 102% and many of its most essential services, exceeded 100% of their capacities (Surgery 119%, neonatology 108%, pediatrics 103% and obstetrics 100%).
San Carlos Hospital had an overall occupancy rate of 97%. The pharmacy service had an occupation of 123%, surgery 110%, neonatology 99% and pediatrics 92%.
International standards recommend that every hospital has at least 15% of free occupation so that, in case of emergency or disaster, they have room to serve patients.