Finding direction for an innovative and effective model in Covid-19 prevention and control

Part 2: Bravely switching functions in a new situation

The mobile medical station model was replicated and operated with maximum efficiency when the situation of Covid-19 pandemic in Binh Duong decreased sharply in all 3 criteria: the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The local Covid-19 prevention and control has entered a new phase, requiring the mobile medical stations to change their functions to continue the task of protecting and taking care of people's health in the new situation.

Gradual adaptation

Implementing measures on safe, flexible adaptation and effectively control of the Covid-19 pandemic in the new situation, Binh Duong has flexibly implemented the Government’s Resolution No.128/NQ-CP and the Ministry of Health’s Decision 4800/QD-BYT, Decision 218/QD-BYT temporarily guiding on the implementation of the Government's Resolution No.128/NQ-CP. After the implementation period, the pandemic situation in the province decreased sharply on the following criteria: the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The chart of pandemic data over the past 2 weeks showed that the province now records an average of 13 new infections every day, a decrease of more than 307 times compared to the peak of the pandemic. While the number of infections has decreased sharply, the death rate of patients from Covid-19 is also on a sharp decline. The number of discharged and recovered patients is increasing while the number of new cases and hospitalizations is on reduction.

Mobile health station workers participate in dengue fever prevention and control

Since the 4th Covid-19 wave, the province has recorded more than 383,600 infections, more than 692,800 patients discharged from hospital, more than 2,400 patients who died of Covid-19. Currently, the whole province has more than 20 patients under home treatment and no patients being treated at medical facilities. Statistics show that over the past 30 days, the number of patients who died of Covid-19 was about 3 patients, mainly being elderly and weak ones with serious underlying diseases. Assessing the epidemic level in the last 4 weeks, the province has had all 91 communes, wards and townships at level 1 (new normal). In particular, the great success of the province is the implementation of vaccination against Covid-19 for people. The province has so far administered more than 6.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine for people. Within 3 days, the whole province injected 750,000 doses of Sinopharm's Vero Cell vaccine.

In the condition of safe adaptation towards the "new normal" state, the vibrant rhythm of people's life has returned. The effective operation of the mobile medical stations has contributed to helping Binh Duong overcome difficulties and successfully carry out the "dual task" of Covid-19 prevention & control and economic development. The presence of the mobile medical stations has created confidence in people to join hands with the locality to fight the pandemic and stabilize their lives.

Switching functions

According to statistics from provincial health sector, the whole province has as of now established 162 mobile medical stations, including 99 stations in communes, wards and townships, 43 stations in industrial parks and 20 mobile medical teams of the army. In the situation of the Covid-19 epidemic which decreased sharply in all 3 criteria, the province has advocated the transformation of the functions and tasks of these mobile medical stations. Dr. Huynh Minh Chin, Deputy Director of provincial Department of Health said that currently the situation of Covid-19 epidemic has decreased deeply, but in the summer, the rainy weather creates favorable conditions for the outbreak of infectious diseases, especially dengue fever. In order to proactively preventing and controlling summer pandemics, the local health sector has converted the functions of the mobile medical stations into the fixed ones for seasonal epidemic prevention and control. Accordingly, the mobile medical stations will carry out activities to prevent seasonally transmitted diseases such as dengue fever, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, dysentery, typhoid, measles, influenza, diarrhea caused by rotavirus, and Japanese encephalitis.

Thu Dau Mot city is a locality that has quickly changed the functions of 14 mobile medical stations to prevent and control dengue, foot-and-mouth disease and other diseases. Thanks to flexible implementation of measures, Thu Dau Mot is the locality with the lowest rate of dengue vector among 9 districts, towns and cities in the province. Following the success in Thu Dau Mot city, localities, namely Di An city, Tan Uyen town, and Ben Cat town have also transformed the operations of the mobile medical stations. In Di An city, in the face of the dengue fever situation on increase, 14 mobile health stations have simultaneously switched their functions to dengue fever prevention-control activities and brought about many positive results.

The mobile medical station No. 6 in Di An city’s Tan Dong Hiep ward has 5 members, including 1 doctor and 4 medical staff. Over the past 2 months, there were no more people infected with Covid-19 coming to examine and get medicine at the station, so doctor Phan Thi Ngoc Kieu, Head of the station and other medical staff have changed to seasonal disease prevention-control activities and supported the operations of the fixed medical stations. Every day, doctor Kieu rides a motorbike into alleys and lodging facilities to announce the situation of dengue pandemic that is circulating strongly in the area and announce effective ways against the disease. Especially, doctor Kieu went to each household in Dong Chieu quarter (where there were many dengue cases and deaths) to record the health status of each person and to monitor the community for suspected dengue cases.

Taking advantage of time, the station's doctors also participated in cleaning up alleys, mobilizing people to collect waste, removing larvae for dengue fever prevention and control. For the hot spot of dengue fever in Dong Chieu quarter, doctor Kieu daily goes to each family to propagandize and mobilize people to maintain weekly activities of general environmental sanitation. With contributions by doctor Kieu and medical of the mobile medical station No.6, the number of dengue infections, severe cases and deaths in the locality is showing signs of decreasing. In the 22^nd week, Tan Dong Hiep ward recorded 15 cases of dengue, but there were only 10 cases in the 33^rd week.

It can be seen that the timely conversion of the functions of the mobile medical stations has helped localities well control dengue fever. The mobile medical stations still play an important role in protecting people's health. (to be continued)

Reported by Kim Ha-Translated by Kim Tin