HÀ NỘI — Doctors and nurses on duty during Tết (Lunar New Year) have little time for relaxing and meeting up with their families.

Doctor Nguyễn Trung Cấp, deputy head of the emergency department at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases has had to be on duty for four consecutive years.

“Tết is the busiest time for healthcare workers. I know that when they choose the job, doctors have to accept some sacrifices, including the joy of welcoming the New Year with their families,” Cấp said.

There are usually a high number of emergency cases during Tết, so doctors can expect long hours and difficult shifts.

According to the Department of Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, medical facilities nationwide handled more than 71,000 emergency cases and conducted over 6,300 operations in the four days from December 29 to January 3 of the lunar calendar.

In the north, Việt Nam-Germany Hospital is a hotspot. Up to 724 patients went to have check-ups or suffered emergencies in the same four days. Among those, 423 cases resulted from traffic accidents.

Doctor Lê Tư Hoàng, deputy head of Treatment Department 1C of Việt Nam-Germany Hospital said that nearly 400 medical staff were on duty during the holiday. Doctors not on duty were asked to stay close to Hà Nội in case of urgent situations.

More than 2,000 people were admitted to Chợ Rẫy Hospital, a large hospital in HCM City, from lunar December 28 to January 4. Of these, 530 were the victims of traffic accidents.

HCM City Trauma and Orthopedic Hospital received about 100 to 150 emergency cases each day during the festival. Injuries consisted of mostly broken legs and arms. Surgeons had full schedules of operations.

Meaningful happiness

Phạm Thị Giang, a nurse from the artificial kidney department at Thủ Đức District’s Hospital in HCM City spent almost all of the holiday at work. The young single nurse was ready to help her colleagues on duty from New Year’s Eve until the second day of the New Year.

“Not being at home to welcome the New Year with my family makes me a little sad. But I get used to the schedule. We were cheered up by a visit from the hospital’s board of directors on New Year’s Eve,” she said.

A midwife at HCM City-based Thủ Đức Hospital told Lao Động (Labour) newspaper that she felt sad leaving for work on New Year’s Eve. However, the happiness she felt from helping mothers deliver newborn babies highlighted the meaning of her work. — VNS