A staff member at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi checks passengers' body temperature via a thermal scanner (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son had a working session with the Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) on March 24 to look into the treatment for COVID-19 cases, especially serious ones.
NHTD Director Pham Ngoc Thach said his hospital is giving treatment to 46 COVID-19 patients, including 34 Vietnamese and 12 foreigners.
In the first phase, the hospital mainly cared for young patients. Now, patients have increased and they belong to various age groups, including old patients with other illnesses like hypertension, immunodeficiency and diabetes.
Notably, its intensive care department is tending to three severe cases, comprising a 64-year-old Vietnamese woman, a 50-year-old Vietnamese man and a 69-year-old British man, Thach said.
Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, said as the NHTD handles serious cases, it needs to review its operating procedures and equipment and report the situation to the ministry to seek solutions if necessary.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Son highly valued efforts by all the staff of the hospital and at the same time also asked it to further prevent cross infection after a doctor at the emergency department contracted SARS-CoV-2.
He also told the NHTD to better care for its staff’s spiritual life so that they won’t be overloaded. Besides, it needs to build more response plans in case the number of patients surges.
Severe cases will receive treatment at higher-level hospitals, including the NHTD, while mild ones will be moved to others, according to the official.
As of March 24 morning, Vietnam had recorded 123 COVID-19 cases, 17 of whom have recovered./.
VNA
