Much has already been written about how much it costs per month to rent the backup medical facility in Letňany. The choice of founding the backup hospital in Letňany was explained on our website as well. Now, with the increasing number of people infected with covid-19, let us take a closer look at the current statistics of infected citizens of the Czech Republic, including infected health professionals, and reiterate the facts why the backup hospital in Letňany is so important.

Picture: Last works before the official handover of the backup field hospital in Letňany, October 2020 | army.cz

It should be said at the beginning that our army has never built a field hospital with 500 beds, both field hospitals of the army have a capacity of 100 beds. The backup hospital in Letňany offers a total of 500 beds, of which 490 are standard and 10 intensive care beds. The entire Backup Field Medical Facility P3Z, as is its official name, stands in the temperate areas of the exhibition centre, where a constant temperature is maintained. The equipment of the facility includes all the necessary equipment, from lung ventilation, to X-rays, operating rooms, computed tomography, to facilities for soldiers. In the event of activation of the facility, the staff will consist of 248 soldiers, of which there will 25 doctors who will work in three shifts.

And why Letňany? The main reason is the already mentioned fact that these are temperate spaces. Thanks to the relatively easy heating, it is possible to maintain a constant, favourable temperature in the halls. And this is very important for patients. Temperature fluctuations are dangerous for a weakened organism and they definitely do not help the recovery. In Letňany, they will maintain the room temperature, or a slightly lower temperature, but still comfortable. Even for personnel in protective clothing. The above is therefore a clear reason for why it would be nonsense to consider construction in the open field, at bases or at the airport in Kbely, in November, when the preparations for the facility were being finalized. Furthermore, the facility in Letňany boasts great serviceability, the possibility of expansion and good logistics facilities. Although the price is debatable – the rent of the complex from mid-October to the end of November cost the state 26.5 million crowns – it should be added that the owner of the company that operates the exhibition centre in Letňany defends this price by having the halls built at a cost of 700 million crowns and they stand on land, the rent of which sends 24 million crowns a year into the state treasury. We also take into account the costs of heating, electricity, maintenance, etc.

Picture: How to take care of a patient in bed, help them with personal hygiene or eating, and how to properly communicate with a patient. Not only that was the subject of the course of the Czech Red Cross at the end of 2020, where five hundred members of the Czech Army were trained to help in facilities where there is an urgent shortage of personnel due to the spread of COVID-19. | army.cz

Let us take a look at the current statistics related to the infected with covid-19 in the Czech Republic, the numbers are quite depressing. According to the president of the Czech Medical Chamber Milan Kubek, the current state of infected nurses and doctors is as follows: “We currently have 6,700 infected health professionals, including 1,350 doctors and 3,000 nurses. In the last week, 3,000 health professionals have become infected, including 650 doctors. 14 doctors have already died, we have reported further deaths of nurses,” says Kubek. So far, a total of 760,000 Czech citizens have been infected with Covid, and approximately 12,300 people have died with the infection. There are currently around 7,000 patients in the hospitals.

If the above numbers continue to grow (which can be expected), it may happen that the backup hospital in Letňany will be activated. For example, Zlín hospitals are already reporting limit numbers of filled beds and a sharp decrease in staff.