Director of Hà Nội Medical University’s Hospital Nguyễn Lân Hiếu who is managing the COVID-19 Treatment Field Hospital based at Becamex International Hospital in Bình Dương Province told Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính about the field hospital during his visit on Friday. Photo baochinhphu.vn

BÌNH DƯƠNG - Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Friday called on health workers, people and businesses in the southern province of Bình Dương – the second biggest COVID-19 hotspot in Việt Nam – to overcome difficulties, ensuring healthcare and production during the pandemic.

Visiting the COVID-19 Treatment Field Hospital based at Becamex International Hospital in Thuận An City, Chính praised the health workers’ efforts in providing medical care for critical COVID-19 patients.

The hospital, managed by the Director of Hà Nội Medical University’s Hospital Nguyễn Lân Hiếu is treating 270 COVID-19 patients with critical health conditions.

Hiếu said that it was reasonable to arrange patients with mild and medium illnesses at grassroots healthcare facilities, which helped reduce pressure for hospitals at higher levels.

“To reduce fatalities, it is important to detect infections and offer treatment as soon as possible from grassroots level,” Hiếu said.

PM Chính urged health workers at the field hospital to fulfil their tasks and help improve the capacity for local health workers.

He appreciated the participation of the private health sector in COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccination.

Particularly, Chính praised three health workers who volunteered to continue working while being infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The field hospital is short of nurses.

Chính also visited Bình Thuận Primary School in Thuận Giao Ward, Thuận An District on Friday morning. The school is now used as a treatment area for more than 400 SARS-CoV-2 positive people, 30 per cent of them have mild symptoms while others have medium illness.

Among 1,228 patients who received treatment at the school, 90 per cent were given the all-clear while the other ten per cent were transferred to higher-level hospitals for further treatment.

As soon as receiving information about patients via phone hotlines, heads of residential groups or police, health workers were sent to the patients’ homes for first aid or emergency care. Once the patients were taken to the COVID-19 treatment facilities, they would be classified depending on their health conditions.

Patients with serious illnesses would be sent to higher-level facilities.

Visiting Đông Phú wholesale market in Thuận Giao Ward, Chính witnessed relief food prepared for people in pandemic-hit areas. The PM also visited some families in Bình Quới A residential group in Bình Chuẩn Ward.

He asked local authorities to pay attention to providing food and healthcare services for people during social distancing.

According to the local authorities, local youth and women's unions have been lending a hand in supplying food and other essential goods to people.

However, after talking with local people, PM Chính said that local authorities still had shortcomings to ensure supply.

Chính also asked people to call emergency numbers and ask for medical support. After seeing health workers respond within about ten minutes, Chính praised them for their quick responses.

The PM also visited a mobile healthcare centre in Bình Chuẩn Ward.

Established on July 23, the centre has received 997 COVID-19 patients, of them, over 700 patients were given the all-clear, about 200 are under treatment and the other 15 were transferred to higher-level health facilities.

The ward’s authorities reported to the PM that offering COVID-19 treatment at grassroots level at this time helped reduce the burden on higher-level medical facilities.

When visiting Saigon Stec Ltd Co in Thủ Dầu Một City, PM Chính called on workers to overcome difficulties to maintain production during the pandemic.

“Once the production is disrupted, workers lose jobs and it’s difficult to get new jobs,” Chính told the workers.

About 2,000 out of 6,600 workers of the company have been arranged to stay and work at the company campus at this time. The workers are reportedly receiving good treatment with payment four-times higher than normal.

The company director-general Wada Kazuhito said that the three on-site model was quite effective in maintaining production during the pandemic thanks to support from local authorities.

The company planned to have an additional 3,000 workers resume work soon, he said.

PM Chính asked Bình Dương People’s Committee to support business in maintaining production and taking care of workers.

He affirmed that the Government would pay more attention and create favourable conditions for business to keep operation and vaccination for workers.

Chính called on companies based in Việt Nam and their partners in other countries to help boost vaccine supply to Việt Nam which would not only benefit Việt Nam but also the global supply chains.

Võ Văn Minh, chairman of Bình Dương Province People’s Committee, said that the province was preparing to handle 150,000 COVID-19 cases. Now, the province has reported more than 86,000 cases.

With such a huge infection number, the province was facing a shortage of medical staff, equipment and vaccines.

The province estimated to need a fund of VNĐ12.242 billion for the scenario of 150,000 cases, he said, adding that the province could afford only half the amount.

He also said that Bình Dương now needed 100 mobile medical centres with one doctor and two nurses each.

“Bình Dương really needs support from the Health Ministry, Defence Ministry and other provinces,” he said.

The province wanted the Government to allocate COVID-19 vaccines for about two million people living in high-risk areas as well as medicines and medical equipment for COVID-19 treatment.

Quarantine areas upgraded to medical facilities 

Health Minister Nguyễn Thanh Long on Friday suggested health authorities in Tân Uyên Town, Bình Dương Province to turn 50 concentrated quarantine areas into 50 medical facilities with oxygen supply systems, medical workers, basic medical equipment and medicines.

The town now has 15,235 COVID-19 cases under treatment including nearly 6,900 cases with mild symptoms and 550 cases with medium symptom. The town has reported 21,530 COVID-19 cases in the fourth wave of the pandemic and expects to have about 30,000 cases by the end of this month.

Minister Long said that it was a must to offer timely treatment for COVID-19 patients.

Oxygen supply must be ready. Depending on the patients’ health conditions, they should be transferred to higher-level hospitals if needed, so co-ordination between health facilities was very important, he said.

Mobile healthcare centres must join managing and treating COVID-19 patients at grassroot levels in wards and communes, Long said. VNS