A patient is treated at a satellite emergency station of Sài Gòn General Hospital. VNA/VNS.Photo Đinh Hằng

HCM CITY— The HCM City Department of Health will give priority to upgrading its pre-hospital emergency care system, especially for the treatment of strokes, Tăng Chí Thượng, head of the department, said at a conference held in the city on October 28.

The 115 Emergency Aid Centre will work with the department’s medical affairs division to update  information about the pre-hospital emergency care system for treatment of strokes and improve the skills of staff in the system.

The emergency system of Military Hospital 175 will co-operate with the department’s pre-hospital emergency care system to provide medical air ambulance services.

The service is expected to provide emergency aid to patients on islands or in remote areas in a timely manner.

According to Dr Nguyễn Duy Long, head of the 115 Emergency Aid Centre, besides the centre, the city has 34 satellite emergency stations. As stroke incidences have risen, the satellite emergency stations’ staff should be trained in measures to provide proper first aid for stroke patients, Long said.

Dr Nguyễn Huy Thắng, chairman of the HCM City Stroke Association, said that strokes are the third leading cause of death in the world, following heart disease and cancer.

In Việt Nam, strokes are also the leading cause of death. The Ministry of Health’s statistics show that mortality due to stroke among men accounts for 18 per cent and 23 per cent for females.

The country has nearly 200,000 stroke incidences each year. Last year, the Stroke Treatment Centre at People’s Hospital 115 admitted 15,000 stroke patients.     

According to Thắng, the burden from disabilities caused by strokes is worse than from other diseases, so the treatment’s goal is to help stroke patients return to their normal life and job.

There are 80 stroke treatment centres in the country.  VNS