Assoc.Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu: To proactively develop treatment plans for the increasing number of infected cases

To cope with daily changes of the pandemic, especially when the number of F0 cases is high, Binh Duong province has been urgently building many field hospitals, emergency and intensive care units, classifying hospitals, and sent many doctors and experts to hotspots to protect people's health. Binh Duong Newspaper made an interview with Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital cum Medical Director of Emergency Resuscitation Center of Becamex International Hospital.

- When the number of Covid-19 patients increases to about 100,000 treatment beds, how will be Binh Duong's response capability?

-With the goal of reducing mortality and to help all patients to have access to medical services, Binh Duong province continues to give treatment according to three-tiered classification system. The first tier receives asymptomatic patients or with mild symptoms without underlying disease. The second tier receives and treats mild and moderate Covid-19 patients, and the third tier is for severe and critical patients. Currently, the units on the first tiers have 6,000 beds, continue to expand to 8,000 beds; The second tier have 3,500 beds, expand to 5,000 beds; and the third floor have from 1,000 beds to 1,500 beds.

In addition to three tiers of treatment, hospitals and treatment areas assigned to give treatment must urgently arrange a sufficient number of beds according to plans and instructions, and support patients to comply with monitoring and treatment principles. In particular, directors of hospitals and treatment units are responsible for refusing to accept patients when their unit has available beds and right classification. Directors of hospitals and treatment units of the second and third tiers are responsible to the Provincial People's Committee if there is a shortage of oxygen source. Provincial General Hospital is in charge of training, instructing, diagnosing and treating for medical staff, related units and assistance units. In particular, the units must estimate and plan for the number of medicine and basic emergency resuscitation medical equipment when the patient is seriously ill, and coordinate with treatment consulting teams for further guidance and treatment.

- How should the resuscitation capacity of the province be strengthened and developed, Sir?

- All district-level hospitals and second-tiered hospitals must have at least a central oxygen system, equipment and human resources to perform the technique of oxygen mask, High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC). Provincial general hospitals of first tier or higher have an intensive care unit of at least 100 beds to receive, give emergency treatment and treat critically ill patients. Hospitals that are assigned to be in charge of receiving critical patients, in the immediate future, must set up 500-bed intensive care units. Units also need to train and set up many teams and groups with advanced critical care capabilities, such as: invasive mechanical ventilation, ECMO, dialysis..., at the same time need to check and ensure the supply capacity of medical oxygen, must have no medical oxygen deficiency in emergency and treatment.

- In addition to the strengthened abilities to response and active resuscitation, what other procedures does Binh Duong need to perform to avoid being passive?

- To avoid being passive, the province needs to mobilize treatment units including police forces, national defense, departments, branches, and private hospitals to participate in isolation, treatment, emergency care, and patient care. This mobilization must meet the set of criteria for safe hospitals and safe clinics for Covid-19  prevention and control. In addition, provincial and district general hospitals must ensure essential medical services for vulnerable groups, such as children, pregnant women, the elderly and chronic patients; technical and professional support, active resuscitation capacity to treat severe and critical patients of localities with high rate of infections.

The province also needs to propose the Ministry of Health to mobilize forces when the demand exceeds the professional capacity of hospitals in the province. Medical examination and treatment facilities implement distancing order and apply optimization measures to reduce waiting time. In addition, the province needs to strictly implement infection control and prevention of cross-infection at medical examination and treatment facilities as prescribed; regularly learn from experience in treatment, update instructions and protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19 patients.

- Thank you!

Reported by Hoang Linh - Translated by Ngoc Huynh

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