Soldiers in Spain helping in the fight against the coronavirus have discovered elderly patients in care homes abandoned and in some situations, lying dead in their beds, according to the Spanish defense minister.
The prosecutors in Spain said that an investigation has been opened up into this case.
The soldiers have been brought in to help with the disinfection in the care homes in Spain, one of the worst hit countries in the world from the pandemic.
In Madrid, an ice rink is used as a short-term mortuary for victims from the COVID-19, according to the Spanish officials.
Spain Is One of the most Affected Countries from the Coronavirus
Unfortunately, the virus is spreading rapidly in Spain and the country is the second-worst-hit in Europe after Italy.
The number of deaths surpassed 500 in the last 24 hours and around 40,000 confirmed cases.
According to Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, the government will be strict and without flexibility when it comes to the treatment of elderly in retirement homes.
Sadly, the army has discovered older people abandoned or dead in their beds.
The health officials said that in normal situations, the dead bodies of residents are placed in cold storages until the funeral services collect them.
However, in these cases it was probably suspected that some of the deaths could be caused by corona so the residents were left in their beds until properly equipped funeral services come to collect the bodies.
The Health Care & Funeral System in Spain Is Struggling
But, with the highest number of cases and deaths, in Madrid, this may take up to 24 hours!
The Health Minister of Spain said that retirement homes are the priority of governments. And, he also noted that they will be intensively monitoring the centers.
With the worsening of the crisis in Madrid, the municipal funeral home stated that they’ll cease collecting victims of COVID-19 due to insufficient protective gear for their workers.
Experts are concerned that even though the numbers are rising, neither of the most affected countries has reached their peak.
The health care and funeral care systems are struggling hard with the crisis and facing major capacity struggles to handle the infected and diseased patients.
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