HÀ NỘI — Health Minister Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến on Wednesday met with leaders of Hòa Bình Province People’s Committee and health department regarding an incident that left seven kidney dialysis patients dead.

Prior to the meeting, she visited and offered condolences to families of three late patients in Hòa Bình City, as well as patient Nguyễn Thị Bích Nguyên who is receiving treatment at Hòa Bình Province General Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit following the Monday incident.

Minister Tiến asked the province’s health department to establish a panel of health sector experts to determine the cause of the kidney dialysis calamity, which killed seven patients who were receiving dialysis at the hospital on Monday.

“We have to deal with the situation step by step, be honest and be objective in finding the cause of the complication so as to bring [the hospital’s Artificial Kidney Department] back to operation,” she said.

The department stopped receiving patients immediately after the incident.

Director Trần Quang Khánh of the province’s health department said the panel had been established, consisting of leaders and doctors of Hòa Bình Province General Hospital, officials from the department’s medicine and pharmacy division and four health sector experts.

The Artificial Kidney Department is expected to resume operations in 10 days, he said.

He asked the health ministry to help look after some 100 kidney patients currently receiving periodical dialysis at the hospital while it investigates the incident.

Five hospitals in Hà Nội on Tuesday were requested by the city’s health department to prepare human resources and facilities to receive kidney patients from the Hòa Bình Province General Hospital.

It includes the Hà Nội Nephrology Hospital and four general hospitals of Hòe Nhai, Đống Đa, Thanh Nhàn and Hà Đông.

The Hà Nội Nephrology Hospital – the city’s leading specialist in nephrology and dialysis – was requested to directly receive the patients and pass them on to the other hospitals.

It is also responsible for reviewing and examining the process of kidney dialysis at hospitals in its network, as well as organising specialised training workshops for medical staff at these hospitals.

The capital city’s health department also requested hospitals that provide kidney dialysis services to review their technical process, clean and test all their equipment in accordance with instructions from the health ministry on kidney dialysis to avoid medical complications.

On Tuesday, Bạch Mai Hospital received 10 more kidney patients from Hòa Bình Province General Hospital, the Hà Nội Nephrology Hospital 20, and the Agriculture General Hospital 27.

Hòa Bình City General Hospital also received 20 kidney patients from Hòa Bình Province General Hospital.

On Monday, seven out of 18 kidney patients receiving dialysis at Hòa Bình Province General Hospital died of suspected anaphylactic shock. Ten of the remaining patients were sent to Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội and are reportedly in stable condition. — VNS