HCM CITY— Forty nine infants with congenital defects have been saved by the HCM City Children’s Hospital this year thanks to close co-operation between obstetricians and pediatricians, experts told the 13^th National Paediatric Surgery Conference that opened on October 25.

Dr Hồ Tấn Thanh Bình, head of the hospital’s neo-natal intensive care department, said premature birth and congenital defects are the main causes of infant mortality.  

If they are provided timely intervention, the rate of mortality could be reduced, he said.

This is why his hospital collaborates with Từ Dũ and Hùng Vương obstetrics hospitals, according to the doctor.

In July, for instance, a baby girl born at 24 weeks and weighting only 600 grammes had a heart defect, but the hospital managed to save her.

But Dr Trần Công Bảo Phụng of the hospital’s cardiology department said the co-operation between obstetrics and paediatrics hospitals remained inadequate.

They even lacked a common data base and obstetrics hospitals did not provide information about defects diagnosed during pregnancy and after delivery to paediatricians, leading to difficulties in treatment.

Many babies transferred after delivery to paediatrics hospitals became worse and even died because of unsafe transfer procedures.

"Obstetricians and paediatricians need to co-operate comprehensively for diagnosis, guidance before birth and emergency aid after birth and transferring infants between hospitals to reduce the mortality rate," he added.

"Such co-operation is vital and can be found in developed and even other developing countries," Dr Hoàng Thị Diễm Tuyết, head of Hùng Vương Hospital, said .

"In some countries, paediatricians come to operation theatres at obstetrics hospitals or pregnant women are taken to paediatrics hospitals for early intervention for their baby.

"But this is not possible in Việt Nam because operation theatres at obstetrics hospitals are overcrowded or lack the facilities for heart surgeries," she said.

The two–day conference has attracted more than 600 foreign and Vietnamese doctors who will make more than 40 presentations in obstetrics and paediatrics.—VNS