An emergency response team at the second facility belonging to Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital provides care for a patient. — VNS Photo Thu Hằng

HCM CITY — Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital’s second facility that opened eight months ago is marking a pivotal shift in HCM City’s emergency care system by creating an emergency and critical care centre in the downtown area and working in close coordination with the 115 Emergency Centre, according to the city Department of Health.

It has enhanced response capabilities and introduced a modern EMS–ED–ICU continuum, bringing high-quality emergency medical services to the city.

The EMS–ED–ICU continuum connects pre-hospital field care, hospital emergency stabilisation, and intensive care into one seamless chain.

On receiving a call, the 115 Emergency Centre sends information to the emergency and critical care centre at the new facility, and quickly a field crew comprising a doctor, nurse, and ambulance deploys to perform initial care and specialised in-hospital medical teams are activated.

This means operating rooms, ICUs, or intervention units are fully prepared to receive the patient while the ambulance is still en route.

In the first six months of this year, the centre dispatched ambulances for 526 patients, including 78 foreigners.

The average response time dropped to 15.9 minutes and nearly 70 per cent of cases reached within 20 minutes.

The conditions encountered were critical emergencies, such as strokes, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, acute respiratory failure, multiple trauma, and acute myocardial infarctions.

In future, the city’s pre-hospital emergency network will expand coverage, ensuring people in both central and outlying areas receive rapid, high-quality emergency medical services.

The downtown area with a high population density and influx of tourists and foreign residents requires robust pre-hospital care.

Tăng Chí Thượng, director of the city Department of Health, said the collaboration between the hospital and the 115 Emergency Centre helps cut medical transport time and facilitates immediate resuscitation.

Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital inaugurated its second facility at the end of last year following its merger with Saigon General Hospital. — VNS