LJUBLJANA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Italian army doctors will assist neighboring Slovenia to help treat rising numbers of COVID-19 patients, the Slovenian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Slovenia has been badly hit by the COVID-19 epidemic. Currently, local hospitals are treating 1,104 COVID-19 patients, up from 920 a week ago, according to the National Institute of Public Health data.
This situation has forced hospitals to cut non-urgent programs in order to be able to treat COVID-19 patients.
Matej Tonin and Lorenzo Guerini, defense ministers of Slovenia and Italy respectively, have agreed that up to 30 doctors and nurses from the Italian army will help in Slovenian hospitals, according to a statement from the Slovenian Defense Ministry.
The statement added that the Slovenian Health Ministry will determine what kind of doctors and nurses are required.
Tonin later told the press that he was hopeful the Italian health workers would arrive in Slovenia soon. The aid agreement covers the period until the end of the year, he added.
The Slovenian government is calling upon citizens to get vaccinated, but so far only 53.8 percent of the country's population of 2.1 million has received two doses of a vaccine against COVID-19. Enditem
