Major General Nguyen Hong Son, Director of Military Hospital 175 under the Ministry of National Defense, said that during a recent interview granted to reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper.
Over the past months, since the pandemic is still raging in Southern localities, thousands of troops from military units stationed in localities in Military Regions 7 and 9 have been mobilized to support their pandemic containment efforts. Like other front-line forces, personnel of the armed forces are facing high risks of getting infected with COVID-19. Therefore, together with preventing troops from being infected with COVID-19, military medical establishments in the region, including Military Hospital 175, have been ready to treat infected cases.
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Major General Nguyen Hong Son (right) encouraging medical staff |
Major General Nguyen Hong Son said that during the time Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities are following social distancing rules under the Prime Minister's Directive No.16, Military Hospital 175 has received a large number of patients from COVID-19-hit localities in the region. This situation has posed a huge challenge to the hospital in preventing the virus from entering the hospital to protect both its medical personnel and patients.
Talking about Military Hospital 175’s efforts in carrying out the key political mission of COVID-19 fight, General Son said that amid the complicated developments of the virus, the hospital has actively developed long-term comprehensive measures to ensure healthcare for personnel serving at sea and on islands, save patients of serious illnesses and prepare personnel for the Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 3 to undertake missions in South Sudan.
It has applied technological advances to raising the quality of its diagnosis and treatment of patients. Since the fourth outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, Military Hospital 175 has actively conducted COVID-19 testing for people entering the hospital to detect possible infected cases. The hospital has detected hundreds of COVID-19 cases, contributing to Ho Chi Minh City’s efforts in containing the virus.
The director of Military Hospital 175 said that the hospital has also set up a center for treating COVID-19 cases and carried out vaccination for troops, especially those in Southwestern border areas, against SARS-CoV-2. In addition, it has also assisted Ho Chi Minh City’s health sector in taking samples of people in COVID-19 hotbeds and sent 150 doctors and nurses to work at the city’s Field Hospital 7.
According to the hospital’s head, together with raising its capabilities to respond to the COVID-19 complicated situation, the hospital has actively assisted lower-level military medical establishments in the fight. Particularly, the hospital has conducted various online training courses on pandemic prevention and control for military medical workers from other medical establishments and assisted them in diagnosing and treating patients with serious illnesses.
The military hospital has decided to increase the capacity of its center for treating COVID-19 cases to ease the pressure on lower-level military medical facilities in Ho Chi Minh City. Together with ensuring enough personnel, the hospital is also trying its utmost to prepare modern equipment, including ventilators and ECMO machines, for the center, so as to turn it into a key COVID-19 treatment center in the military in Ho Chi Minh City.
General Son said that over the past time, the hospital has received a lot of support from the Military Medical Department and military and civilian units and businesses in its treatment of COVID-19 cases and affirmed that it is now ready to support lower-level military medical establishments if requested.
He said that to protect troops from SARS-CoV-2, military units should continue observing pandemic prevention and control regulations during their training. The Health Ministry’s “5K” (including Khau trang (facemask), Khu khuan (disinfection), Khoang cach (distance), Khong tu tap (no large gatherings), and Khai bao y te (health declaration)) and vaccination are the best methods to protect troops’ health, contributing to ensuring the combat power of military units. He added that military units’ chains-of-command and medical force should actively prepare different scenarios and measures to respond to circumstances in a timely and effective manner in the coming time.
Translated by Tran Hoai