Locals in HCM City’s District 7 have  returned to District 7 Hospital for treatment. —VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Hằng

HCM CITY —  Healthcare services that were closed temporarily can resume operating on Friday, according to the HCM City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Earlier, due to the COVID-19 outbreak’s complex developments, many health establishments that did not meet safety standards in COVID prevention and control were closed temporarily. Many private and public hospitals were converted to treat only COVID-19 patients.

Speaking at a press meeting held on Thursday, Lê Hòa Bình, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, said these facilities, classified in three groups, would be allowed to reopen.

They include general and specialised hospitals and medical clinics specialising in general internal medicine, cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, dental - jaw - face, ear - nose - throat, eye, aesthetics, rehabilitation, psychiatry, oncology, dermatology, traditional medicine, nutrition and therapies for drug addiction treatment, HIV/AIDS treatment, and surgery.

Clinics for testing, diagnostic imaging, X-ray, counseling, occupational diseases, and family medicine will resume operating.

Also reopening are medical establishments providing healthcare services related to injecting, dressing changes, pulse counting, temperature measurement, blood pressure measurement; home health care; first aid and assistance in transporting patients in the country and abroad; and prescription eyeglass services.  

Pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and medical supply and equipment establishments will reopen.

People from other provinces coming to the city for health examination and treatment will be asked to have a paper from hospitals in provinces that says that they need to be transferred to the city for treatment.   

The city will work with provinces to streamline procedures for transport. They should not go to the city in individual vehicles for health examination and treatment, Bình said.

Spa, massage, and beauty service establishments will continue to be closed.  

Bình said that the number of hopitalised COVID-19 patients, severely ill patients, and deaths is falling in the city.

More than 95 per cent of people aged 18 and over have received at least one vaccine shot and 45 per cent second shot.

However, the outbreak’s evolution in the city still is complex, he said. The rate of vaccinated people in other provinces in the southern region is low, so the city must be careful in restoring the economy. — VNS