The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has become a challenge for us to use the experience of foreign humanitarian missions at home. When a request for cooperation came from the infectiology clinic of the hospital in Bratislava in Kramary, we immediately set to work. The task: to quickly build a COVID-19 patient testing centre outside the hospital building.
We have provided container cells that serve as consulting rooms for both patient examinations and collections. Moving examinations and collections outside the hospital building protects patients and healthcare workers from the spread of infection, but also protects the hospital from contamination.
We first built tent shelters as a waiting room for patients. However, this story turned out to be for a longer period of time, added to which was the cold and high winds. So we replaced the tents with wooden pergolas. We had to build everything outside office hours, that is, at night. And it was freezing. But our carpenters from the company „DrevoNasBavi“ showed that they enjoy not only wood, but also helping.
Securing the infrastructure and logistics of the test centre is first and foremost about cooperation: with the hospital, which provides the facilities, professional medical staff, medical supplies, protective equipment and the entire operation, Equita - a civil association that provides and coordinates the work of volunteer medics, the Slovak Army and Slovak Police help to organize people and guard 24/7 the entire area, and ADRA provides the technical background. Extremely good and useful cooperation.
Medics from UK and SZU experienced a trial by fire instead of an exam period. Together with the doctors they served 7 days a week.
The biggest surprise? One day, a figure in a white spacesuit came out of the testing container on Covid-19. We greeted each other with a touch of the elbow like we greet everyone. It wasn't until she spoke to me that I got a closer look into her eyes through her mask and face shield. And behold - for she is my daughter! „And what are you doing here?“ „Well, sampling...“
After the completion of the technical background of the centre in Kramary, we were asked by the University Hospital in Ružinov to help them with the roofing of their test centre at COVID-19. We didn't want to promise anything, only if we could find a sponsor for it. About two hours later a good man called with an offer: „If you need it, our EPH Foundation would fund the work and the materials. Just keep helping...“ What can I say?
And so on Sunday morning our „Carpenters Without Borders“ got right in and got to work. In the emergency room where ambulances and patients were still arriving, it was a little quieter on Sunday. We were happy to see that the waiting room and patient registration canopy was up after a full day of banging. Tomorrow morning, patient reception will be up and running there...
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