Representatives of three central-level hospitals attend the inauguration ceremony of the three intensive care centres in HCM City which are designed to treat critical COVID-19 patients. — Photo courtesy of MoH

HCM CITY — Three COVID-19 intensive care units (ICUs) with doctors and medical personnel coming from three central-level hospitals across the country opened on Saturday (August 7) in HCM City.

Doctors and medical personnel from three central-level hospitals including the Vietnam German Friendship Hospital and and the Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội, and Huế Central Hospital, have arrived in HCM City to help set up the ICUs that have a total of 1,500 beds.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyễn Trường Sơn, head of the ministry’s taskforce to support HCM City in COVID-19 prevention and control, said the telehealth digital platform should be used to connect hospital departments, and a monitoring centre should be set up to coordinate the treatment of critical COVID-19 cases at the three intensive care centres.

HCM City is struggling to contain its largest outbreak despite serious prevention measures, according to Sơn. “The city has also had to ensure a steady supply of medical equipment and supplies for treatment.”

“Despite the number of cases, the city is on the right track,” he said, adding that the top priority is to save patients with serious health conditions and reduce fatalities.

In addition to medical staff, the ministry will send managers and administrators of leading hospitals across Việt Nam to work in HCM City.

HCM City’s Chợ Rẫy Hospital is currently operating the HCM City Intensive Care COVID-19 Hospital based in the HCM City Oncology Hospital in Thủ Đức City with a capacity of about 1,000 beds.

Field hospitals in IPs

The HCM City Export Processing Zone and Industrial Park Authority Business Association (HBA) has asked for approval from the HCM City government and the Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control to set up field hospitals to treat workers in industrial parks and export processing zones.

According to HBA, as of the beginning of August, nearly half of enterprises in 17 export processing zones and industrial zones in the city had registered to allow workers to stay at their workplaces. 

Nearly 84 per cent of the companies have met the requirements, while 92 factories are adding necessary conditions to meet the requirements.

According to HBA, the Sepzone Linh Trung Company is working with investors to build a field hospital at ready-built workshops in the Linh Trung 2 Export Processing Zone. Many investors have said they would donate medical equipment to the field hospital.

HBA also urged the health sector to assist companies with technical and medical skills so they can conduct rapid tests for COVID-19.

The association recommended that the city prioritise vaccinations for workers in Cát Lái Industrial Park and Cát Lái Port.

The city has 17 export processing zones, industrial parks and high-tech zones with 1,500 businesses.

In a related matter, Tây Ninh Province plans to build a 600-bed field hospital in Thành Thành Công Industrial Park and a 500-bed field hospital in the Phước Đông Industrial Zone. 

Volunteers join pandemic fight 

More than 7,000 people across the country have volunteered to help HCM City fight the current outbreak, following a request from Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn last month.

Of the number, nearly 800 medical workers are working in private and public health clinics (including retired medical staff), and the rest are students and other staff.

Up to 2,500 of them have begun treating COVID-19 patients in the city.

The city will continue to call on volunteers, especially those with medical expertise such as doctors and nurses to support treatment, according to the Department of Health.

Dr. Trần Văn Thành, a volunteer in HCM City, said: “I’ve been a doctor in the military for 25 years and I worked abroad for 25 years. When the country needs me, I’m ready to help treat and save patients.”

The number of new infections since the fourth wave hit the country in late April has topped 190,000. Of that number, HCM City accounts for more than 116,000 cases. — VNS