Health staff at a hospital in Đồng Nai Province check body temperatures and provide counselling about COVID-19 to patients and their parents. — Photo syt.dongnai.gov.vn

ĐỒNG NAI — Hospitals in the southern province of Đồng Nai are providing more healthcare services such as tests and treatment for people at their home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Phan Văn Huyên, director of Long Khánh Regional General Hospital in the province’s Long Khánh city, people can call the hospital hotline and the hospital will send health staff to provide counselling at their homes.

If they need tests, the health staff will take samples for testing at the hospital. The hospital will send the test results to patients’ emails and then connect them to doctors for counselling.    

The cost for the healthcare service is VNĐ100,000 (US$4.2) more than a hospital visit.

The service is especially designed for seniors who have severe diseases and cannot go to the hospital, or for those who have illnesses but would prefer to not go to the hospital to avoid infections. 

The hospital has received up to nearly 100 calls each day to book these services.

Đồng Nai Children’s Hospital has a customer service division that  calls parents to remind them of their children's follow-up exams and to ask about patients’ health and provide counselling.

Nguyễn Thị Ly Ly, head of the cardiovascular diseases department at the hospital, said that Wednesdays and Thursdays are scheduled for patients who have follow-up exams.

However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents have not brought their children for follow-up exams.

Trương Thị Tình of the province’s Long Thành District said she was reluctant to take her child to the hospital, so the hospital’s health staff called and scheduled another appointment for his follow-up exam.

Doctors at Đồng Nai General Hospital and Long Thành Regional General Hospital are giving two months' worth of medicine instead of one week.

The provincial Department of Health has instructed private hospitals and health clinics to have plans to store medicine and medical materials. — VNS