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HEALTH-VIRUS-ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires to allow relatives attend Covid patient deaths
BUENOS AIRES, Aug 28, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Health workers in the Argentine
capital will be instructed to allow family members to maintain a bedside
vigil for dying Covid-19 patients, after legislators approved a new law on
Thursday.
The move by the Buenos Aires city council is seen as a breakthrough in the
care of dying coronavirus patients in the capital, which has borne the brunt
of Argentina’s 8,000-plus deaths from the disease.
Around the world, hospitals have prohibited heartbroken families from
visiting terminally ill Covid-19 patients because of the risk of contagion.
“In much of the world, the coronavirus has been defined as the disease of
loneliness. There are many cases where people said their loved ones died
because they felt alone,” said city congressman Facundo Del Gaiso, who
introduced the bill approved unanimously by the council.
The measure allows one family member, between the ages of 18 and 60, to
keep vigil with the dying patient, with the exception of pregnant women or
people with medical conditions.
“We are seeking to bring patients closer to their loved ones and provide
the necessary means for a dignified farewell, without putting life at risk,”
Congresswoman Maria Luisa Gonzalez Estevarena said.
Local health centers will be instructed to provide the relative with full
protective medical gear, as well as psychological care.
“We believe that at this stage of the pandemic, we must provide every
support to protocols that allow a dignified death, which is a death without
pain, in company, a humanized death,” said Santiago Levin, president of the
Association of Argentine Psychiatrists.
Similar projects are being studied by around a dozen other local
authorities in Argentina.
Argentina on Wednesday registered more than 10,000 new Covid-19 infections
in the 24 hours.
With a population of 44 million, the country has so far registered more
than 370,000 cases.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0920 hrs