Patients being treated at a hospital in HCM City. —VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The Ministry of Health has asked public and private hospitals across the country to ensure sufficient amounts of medicine, equipment and staff during the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, which falls on January 22.

Health Minister Đào Hồng Lan said it was vital to ensure emergency aid, medicine and medical personnel are available 24/7 as the number of traffic accidents, food poisoning incidents and drunk driving incidents are expected to rise during the holiday. 

For patients who need to be transferred to specialised hospitals for treatment, hospitals and health clinics in localities must give initial emergency treatment before transferring them to specialised hospitals.

All refusals or delays in giving timely treatment or transferring the patients will be strictly dealt with, according to Lan.

The ministry has asked leaders of hospitals, specialised doctors, as well as security guards to be on duty around the clock during the holiday. 

Hospitals and health clinics must also prepare adequate medicine supplies and equipment, especially for diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue fever, influenza and others which might happen in the winter-spring period.

The ministry has requested the drug administration to ensure adequate supply of medicines and sustainability of drug prices during the holiday.

Health clinics at the grassroots levels in communes and districts must strengthen epidemiological surveillance to prevent the spread of epidemics.

Regarding the emergence of the latest Omicron subvariant, the health minister has required all hospitals and medical facilities across the nation to tighten prevention measures.

The ministry said it would continue to provide booster shots for all people, especially medical workers, the elderly and others at highest risk during the holiday.

45 COVID vaccination sites to be set up

Dr Tăng Chí Thượng, director of the HCM City Department of Health, said the risk of the latest subvariant entering Việt Nam is extremely high as international travel will surge during the holiday. 

The city health sector is ready to deploy 10,000 beds, including 1,000 resuscitation beds, for COVID patients. 

It has assigned the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases to treat severe and critical patients.

HCM City health authorities plan to set up 45 COVID vaccination sites at hospitals and health centres amid the rapid global spread of the latest Omicron sub-variant.

Besides, at least two permanent sites will be established in each district during the Lunar New Year holidays to ensure access to everyone, according to the municipal Department of Health.

No XBB.1.5 subvariant cases have been detected in Việt Nam yet, but the risk is extremely high as international travel is expected to surge during the holidays, according to the department.

The department has instructed all hospitals and medical centres to tighten preventive measures during the holidays when there is a surge in travel.

The city was a pandemic hotspot in late 2021, and has suffered 630,000 infections and more than 20,000 deaths so far. 

Globally dominant, XBB.1.5 is “the most transmissible” variant to date, and could evade immunity induced by either vaccine or previous infection, according to the World Health Organization. 

Fortunately, experts said current vaccines are very effective in protecting people from hospitalisation and death. 

According to the Ministry of Health, everyone needs to be fully vaccinated and boosted, especially high-risk groups like the elderly, healthcare workers, immuno-compromised people, and people with underlying medical conditions. — VNS