The COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thủ Đức City is planning to add more beds as the number of severe COVID-19 cases has risen in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thủ Đức City plans to increase its hospital beds to 500 to cope with the rising number of severely ill COVID patients.

Dr Trần Thanh Linh, deputy director of the hospital, said that in the last 10 days the number of new COVID-19 cases and severe cases in HCM City had been picking up. The hospital was receiving at least 30 severe cases every day.

When the pandemic situation in HCM City eased in early November, the hospital reduced its capacity from around 700 beds to 150. Medical staff who had been sent from Northern provinces to HCM City also began returning home.

However, due to the recent number of severe cases, the hospital has expanded to 200 beds and reopened its Intensive Care Unit 2B.

The hospital planned to increase the number of beds to 500 soon, Linh said.

While the hospital has enough medical equipment and machines, it is lacking in manpower since the city’s medical staff are being assigned to Mekong Delta provinces or other health facilities in the city.

Dr. Phạm Minh Huy of the hospital said that most of the patients being admitted were older people with underlying health conditions who required more attention and care from staff than before when many patients were young.

Twenty doctors and 30 nurses from two hospitals in the city had been assigned to the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital. The hospital had asked the city’s Department of Health for more staff.

The COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital is based in the HCM City Oncology Hospital in Thủ Đức City, and is operated by Chợ Rẫy Hospital. It was put into service in July.

The hospital was designated by the city to receive severe cases from Thủ Đức City, Bình Thạnh District and District 4.

To reduce the death rate from COVID-19, HCM City, the country’s COVID epicentre, is focusing on testing, vaccinations (including booster shots) and treatment for people aged 65 and over and people with underlying health conditions.

All hospitals in HCM City have been instructed to set up separate areas to admit and treat COVID-19 patients.

Local medical centres and mobile medical stations are expected to ensure timely assistance for COVID patients at home. — VNS