In the days that followed, these employees were disciplined by hospital officials for failing to comply with the institute's procedures, part of which required approval from the management before answering to the media. Interaction with the press needed to be reviewed alongside specific policies.

This Monday, KOB reported 103 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 65 deaths, summing up to 2,072 total cases in New Mexico. According to the governor, authorities procured over $10 million worth of personal protective equipment like medical masks and lab gowns.


Equipment and Supply Disposal

Earlier this year, hospital inspectors have visited over 22,000 healthcare institutes across the U.S. for a routine safety inspection. The Joint Commission primarily can determine the eligibility of these hospitals for the continuance of financial support from Medicaid, which provides reimbursements for healthcare-related expenses.

In New Mexico, mainly, over 30% of medical residents depend on Medicaid for monetary aid. As such, they must keep excellent hospital management, which includes facility maintenance, inventory checkup, but most especially the disposal of expired supplies. This can range from the food at the canteen to the medical equipment.

Last January, the Joint Commission's visit to Presbyterian Centennial Care was fast approaching. Their management required them to throw away supplies and equipment as soon as they were nearing the expiration date.

One of the nurses told the Guardian in an interview this week that, in hindsight, the decision was foolish. Some of these items have only been used once, or not at all. ProPublica investigated whether some medical supplies were still safe to use past the printed expiration dates. 

The medical director at the University of Florida's UF Health North Zachary Deutch explained that, in defense of disposing medical supplies nearing the expiration date, it was "common practice."

Inspection standards were intended for hospitals to ascertain that the medication and supplies were harmless on patients. Personal protective equipment can only last so long without becoming brittle or tearing apart.

When it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic was quickly debilitating healthcare systems, by the middle of March, the Joint Commission announced to health institutions a change in policy. Deutch believed that in light of the crisis, there would likely be a complete compromise to usual operations in the nation's system.


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Reusing PPE as a Solution

Other healthcare institutes resorted to reusing single-use medical equipment through sterilization in the face of shortages. All over the U.S., KOAT-TV reported that few other alternatives would solve the limited supplies.

As per the Joint Commission's advice, more hospitals in New Mexico adopted the policy of reusing some N95 masks and protective eyewear, along with the rest of the equipment. Authorities in the institutions report that sterilization of at least 1,000 masks takes up to 4 hours.

Because of the insufficient equipment, the Joint Commission allowed the masks to be used up to twenty times.

Deutch said, "We're used to having an intense amount of waste and excess without any thought of the implications." He added that this policy must be abolished.

While the inspection standards were designed for times of stability, perhaps there must also be a need for healthcare institutions to consider production and disposal of medical materials in anticipation of crises like the coronavirus pandemic. Apart from a poorly executed line of measures that failed to contain the pandemic, wasteful hospital practice must be addressed.