Suffering from an acute myocardial infarction, Kamara should have been treated at the higher-level hospital in the capital city of Juba. However, due to the curfew in South Sudan, all airplanes are banned from taking off after 18:00, a flight to Juba was impossible. In an emergency situation, Chief Medical Officer of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) decided to transfer the patient to the L2FH Hospital Rotation 2 of Vietnam for treatment.
After receiving the request, Lt. Col., Dr. Vo Van Hien, the hospital’s director, asked all doctors and staff to be ready to undertake the mission. Immediately, Lt. Col., Dr. Nguyen Quang Chien, Deputy Director in charge of the hospital’s professional expertise, chaired an ad-hoc meeting with the participation of doctors and medical staff to discuss treatment for the patient.
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Doctor Nguyen Quang Chien (L) and Sarjoh Aziz Kamara |
At 20:50, the patient was taken to the emergency room. Under the command of Dr. Nguyen Van Tam, Head of the Medical Examination Department, the crew urgently carried out emergency procedures for the patient. Through examination and consultation, the Vietnamese doctors conducted emergency intervention for the patient. After receiving first aid and using cardiovascular drugs, the patient felt comfortable, while his vital signs were also stable.
Before discharged from the hospital, Kamara expressed his feelings when seeing the enthusiastic care of Vietnamese medical staff. He wrote, “You have shown professionalism during my treatment. That makes me less nervous. The treatment procedures were explained to me and I often received encouragement from the doctors and medical staff. They are very friendly. The hospital’s food is delicious as well. I also enjoyed the opportunity to practice using chopsticks.”
According to Lt. Col. Vo Van Hien, this is the first time that a Vietnamese field hospital has received a seriously-ill patient. The event shows the recognition and trust of U.N. officials for the professional qualifications of the Vietnamese medical team.
Like other forces at U.N. peacekeeping missions, the medical personnel of the Vietnamese L2FH Rotation 2 are facing many difficulties due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, over the past time, the unit has successfully completed its professional tasks and been highly appreciated by U.N. inspection teams. These achievements have contributed to affirming the capabilities of the Vietnamese hospital in the UNMISS.
Lt. Col. Vo Van Hien said that the U.N. asked Vietnam to consider upgrading its L2FH Rotation 2 to the Level-2+ field hospital in the coming time.
Translated by Lam Anh