As the northern and central regions have been sweltering for weeks, hospitals have received a massive influx of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses.– Photo hanoimoi.vn

HÀ NỘI – As the northern and central regions have been sweltering for weeks, hospitals have received a massive influx of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses.

Elders and children are among the most vulnerable to the emerging heat-wave. Bạch Mai Hospital has witnessed an increase of 30 to 50 per cent of elderly patients hospitalised with chronic diseases. Alongside this it is estimated that the number of children having examinations at the National Children’s Hospital has risen 10 to 15 per cent in the last few weeks.

The hospital currently receives up to 3,500 child patients per day, mainly suffering from viral fever, diarrhea and respiratory infections.

Some hospitals have become unpleasant places to be due to the overload of people seeking treatment. Patients’ relatives resting in corridors, on benches or under trees outside the hospital have become common. Sức Khoẻ& Đời Sống (Health&Life) newspaper reported that a patient in Bạch Mai Hospital has seen everyone is his family fall sick in recent days.

“It is terrible seeing the hospital stuck with people. Even the parking lot is running out of spaces,” he said.

Another patient from Nam Định Province said that he came for his health check alone, as he was afraid that his relatives would catch an illness if they came with him.

“I heard that it would be more crowded during weekends,” he added.

With the temperature reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius, provinces in the northern and central regions have had to resist the recent hot spell any way they can.

Hà Tĩnh Province Hospital, for example, has been equipped with more chairs, fans, air conditioners, curtains and sunshades in patient rooms. Water fountains have also been set up in the hospital’s departments and waiting rooms.

Nguyễn Thị Hồng Vinh from Thạch Tiến Commune, Thạch Hà District, a relative of a patient receiving treatment at Hà Tĩnh Province Hospital, said that she appreciates the hospital’s effort to combat the heat-wave.

“The hospital’s technicians check every fan in patient rooms to make sure they are operating properly. Windows can be totally covered with sunshades to comfort patients during treatment,” she said.  

According to Trần Thị Dung, deputy director of a hospital in Hà Tĩnh Province, to prevent an overload, doctors and medical staff of the Examination Department are asked to turn up for work 30 minutes earlier than usual to perform tests and give out results as fast as possible.

Nguyễn Tuấn, deputy director of the provincial Department of Health, said that the department asked local medical facilities to stock adequate medicine to ensure a timely response to patients with summer diseases. He also recommended people to plenty of drink water, eat more fruit and sanitise their hands several times a day. Regarding children suffering from fever, it is essential to take them to nearest medical facilities for proper treatment, avoiding use of antibiotics without a doctor’s recommendation.

The Hà Nội Department of Health asked the city’s medical facilities to improve their heat resilience and reduce waiting times for patients having examinations and treatment. Hospitals are also required to set up action plans to receive and treat increased cases of infectious diseases such as dengue fever, measles, meningococcal disease or hand-foot-and-mouth disease. – VNS