The Hoàn Mỹ Thủ Đức International General Hospital in Thủ Đức City will treat COVID-19 patients. Photo courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Field hospitals No.1, 6, and 13 in HCM City have been commissioned to receive moderately to severely ill COVID-19 patients transferred from district-level healthcare facilities treating patients with COVID-19.

The city’s Department of Health on July 26 made changes to admission and treatment protocols at the three field hospitals after the chairman of the city People’s Committee ordered the health sector to avoid fatalities due to late admission and ensure that all COVID-19 patients have access to healthcare facilities, according to Tăng Chí Thượng, deputy director of the department.

There are 14 field hospitals set up in the city. The department has asked other field hospitals to receive all COVID-19 patients who show mild or no symptoms and patients with or without underlying diseases. Field hospitals were asked not to refuse admission of COVID-19 patients with underlying diseases.

Eighteen hospitals offer treatment for 1,713 COVID-19 patients without underlying diseases and 1,115 with underlying diseases. These hospitals transfer patients who show no symptoms to field hospitals in order to have available beds to admit other COVID-19 patients.

More than 38,700 patients with COVID-19 are being treated at field hospitals, hospitals and healthcare facilities in HCM City, including 669 patients in intensive care units.

New COVID-19 treatment centre

The Hoàn Mỹ Thủ Đức International General Hospital has been approved by the city’s People’s Committee and the city’s Department of Health to temporarily shift its function to treatment of COVID-19 patients.

It has met criteria on infrastructure as well as equipment and supplies for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The hospital for treatment of COVID-19 patients in Thủ Đức City is slated to begin operating next week, with 100 beds in the first phase, including 10 ICU beds, it announced in a press release. An additional 100 beds will be added in the second phase.

With a surge in the number of new infections in the city, the new private healthcare facility for treatment of COVID-19 patients is expected to relieve an overwhelmed public healthcare system. —VNS