Currently, there are more than 50 hospitals and institutes across Vietnam eligible for conducting COVID-19 tests (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Expanding COVID-19 testing is one of four key measures that
played a decisive role in treating the disease caused by the
in Vietnam, said a top health official.
Associate
Professor Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Medical Examination and Treatment
Administration under the Health Ministry, said at a meeting last week that
until now, there are more than 50 hospitals and institutes across the
country eligible for conducting COVID-19 tests.
When
the pandemic was first reported in the country, only three units were allowed to
offer the tests.
With
the expansion of the testing network, hospitals were more active in testing,
thus helped save time for patients and reduced the burden on
the preventive medicine sector in testing at-risk people.
At
the meeting on reviewing COVID-19 treatment and mapping out new tasks, Khue,
who is also Deputy Head of the Treatment Subcommittee under the National
Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, pointed out drastic
measures that contributed to their achievements in COVID-19 treatment.
First,
Khue mentioned a reasonable patient allocation based on their health
conditions. Accordingly, critically-ill patients are treated at central
hospitals while healthcare centres and hospitals at lower levels –
communes, districts and provinces – would deal with other patients.
Secondly,
Vietnam has been regularly updating diagnostic and treatment guidelines as
recommended by the World Health Organisation or treatment experience of
countries around the world.
The
country has issued four protocols on diagnosis and treatment. It
also considered and implemented different treatment methods including the use
of antiviral and anti-malarial drugs, as well as convalescent plasma
therapy. Specific healthcare guidelines were developed, for example, those for
people with chronic diseases, people with disabilities and 37 criteria for safe
hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another
effective measure is the establishment of the centre for management and
administration to support professional diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19
patients, Khue said.
The
centre regularly organises online conferences and invites leading
professors across the country to consult on serious cases, discuss optimal
treatment methods for patients and share treatment and care experience.
Moreover,
hundreds of mobile teams to provide direct support to local-level hospitals
that provide treatment for COVID-19 patients were also established nationwide.
The
health official also applauded the effective coordination between the system of
health facilities across the country in implementing various COVID-19
prevention and control solutions, as well as the active nature and willingness
of medical staff in their treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Associate
Professor, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health and Head of the
Treatment Subcommittee, praised the sub-committee in deploying appropriate
solutions with access to advanced experience from across the world while
focusing their highest efforts on treating their patients.
“Such
active participation has helped bring about success in the COVID-19 treatment
regimen in Vietnam, as shown by impressive indicators such as up to 96.4
percent of COVID-19 patients in the country having recovered, including
severely ill patients with co-morbidities, while minimising the death rate and
limiting the rate of cross-infection in medical examination and treatment
establishments,” he said.
As
the pandemic was still developing around the world, while commercial
flights have been reopened, experts also warned of the risk of COVID-19’s
resurgence in Vietnam.
Hospitals
and the system of medical examination and treatment facilities are suggested to
clearly define risk and maintain vigilance, while continuing to thoroughly
apply and improve prevention and control activities toward an immediate response
to any further outbreaks./.
Source: VietnamPlus
