Medical workers from Hà Nội-based Việt Đức Hospital will work at an intensive care centre in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — More than 300 medical workers and eight tonnes of medical equipment from Hà Nội-based Việt Đức Hospital arrived in HCM City on Thursday to help set up an intensive care centre for severe and critical COVID-19 patients.

Vice head of the hospital Đồng Văn Hệ said that the medical workers were doctors and nurses skilled in intensive care, anaesthesia and surgery.

Before departing to take the assignment in HCM City, all the medical workers prepared to race against the clock in order to save as many patients as possible, Hệ said.

Some of them even had a hair cut to make it more convenient to take care of patients, Hệ said.

Tonnes of medical equipment was transported from Hà Nội to HCM City by train to support the establishment of the intensive care centre. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Nine medical workers escorting tonnes of medical equipment travelling by train to HCM City left on Wednesday night. The other medical workers took a flight to the city the same day.

As soon as they arrived Sài Gòn Railway Station early Thursday morning, the medical workers and the equipment were transported to the intensive care centre based in the city’s 13th  field hospital in Bình Hưng Commune, Bình Chánh District.

Earlier, Việt Đức Hospital director Trần Bình Giang led a group of medical experts to HCM City to survey the infrastructure at field hospital No 13 and to develop a plan for setting up the intensive care centre there.

Once the equipment from Hà Nội has been taken to and installed at the field hospital, the intensive care centre with 500 beds is expected to start operating.

Aside from the centre managed by Việt Đức Hospital staff, HCM City will have three other field hospitals of this kind managed by staff from other central hospitals – Bạch Mai Hospital, Huế Central Hospital and HCM City Medical University’s Hospital.

The first intensive care centre in the city started operation in the middle of last month. The 1,000-bed centre is based in HCM City's Oncology Hospital in Thủ Đức City and managed by staff of Chợ Rẫy Hospital.

Up to Thursday morning, HCM City had reported 108,115 locally-transmitted cases during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Việt Nam and 1,891 deaths. According to the city’s Centre for Disease Control, more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients with serious health problems are using ventilators while 15 patients are in a critical condition requiring ECMO. — VNS