A field hospital treated severe COVID-19 cases in HCM City during the fourth wave of the pandemic. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

Field hospitals, which used to treat thousands of COVID-19 patients during the fourth wave of the pandemic in HCM City, have returned to normal after completing their life saving missions.

Doctors who worked around the clock to treat patients as the city was grappling with the devastating consequences of the pandemic have also gone back to their normal working pace.

“A year ago when the pandemic reached its peak in HCM City, we were in rush to build a field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients in Tân Bình District,” said Lê Đình Thanh, director of the Thống Nhất Hospital.

The 1,000 bed hospital lacked many resources and equipment, just like other field hospitals in the city, he said.

There was a severe lack of medical supplies ranging from small items like gloves, masks or PPE to medical equipment and oxygen tanks. These items were then transferred from other hospitals including Thống Nhất Hospital, Tân Bình General Hospital, and CDC Tân Bình and donated by businesses, organisations and individuals, which helped to meet the great demand.

The field hospital was tasked with treating patients with various types of symptoms, from minor to severe.

Patients here were of various ages including more than 100 with several underlying conditions, some in wheelchairs, and other who had suffered heart attacks.

“There were people who seemed to be unable to recover but turned out to be strong and eventually recovered from the disease,” the doctor added.

Dương Minh Đức, a leading professor of mathematics, was among the severe cases treated at the hospital.

He was hospitalised last year with shortness of breath, respiratory failure, diffuse pneumonia in both lungs, and low blood oxygen levels, doctor Thanh said.

He fell into a very heavy cytokine storm and suffered from many other medical conditions, he added.

Thanks to the successful treatment, the mathematician recovered and returned to his normal life.

“We didn’t think that the city could return to normal life this fast. A year ago, when I opened the door, I would be filled with the constant beep sound of ventilators and the cries of patients,” Thanh said.

Every space of the hospital, from corridors to the lawn, was used for the treatment of patients.

“Today with the pandemic under control, I feel happy and proud for having contributed a small part to the fight against the pandemic,” said Thanh.

The hospital faced many difficulties post-pandemic but now its medical examination and treatment activities have returned to normalcy, he said.

During the fourth wave of COVID-19, the most devastating, HCM City built 32 field hospitals with a total capacity of 42,798 beds and transfer the function of 64 hospitals with a total of 17,062 beds for COVID-19 treatment purposes.

As of July 15, the city has reported more than 612,400 cases of COVID-19 infection and 19,984 deaths. Nearly 22 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the southern city. VNS