​To propose the Ministry of Health to support medical equipments for the severe COVID-19 epidemic treatment

COVID-19 test at Center for Disease Control (CDC) Dong Nai

Accordingly, facing the complicated epidemic situation, the Dong Nai health sector has already set up 3 Intensive Care Units with 50 beds for each at Dong Nai General Hospital, Thong Nhat General Hospital; 40 beds at Long Khanh Regional General Hospital to treat the severe COVID-19 patients.

In the near future, one more Intensive Care Unit with a capacity of 200-300 beds will be established at Long Thanh Regional General Hospital to collect and treat severe COVID-19 patients probably coming from Dong Nai Province and neighboring provinces/cities such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province.

However, at present, Dong Nai Province is in the shortage of ventilators: Long Thanh Regional General Hospital only has 14 ventilators of all kinds; in case of mobilization, all the medical units in the province have only around 50-60 ventilators; additionally, the other medical equipments to treat severe COVID-19 patients is also lacking. In order to ensure enough medical equipments to treat severe COVID-19 patients at the above Intensive Care Units, to promptly respond to the epidemic prevention and control in the province, the Provincial People's Committee proposed to the Ministry of Health to support ventilators of all kinds and medical equipments for the severe treatment.

Over the past time, the Dong Nai health sector has deployed 5 systems of SARS-CoV-2 (RT PCR - Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction) to perform COVID-19 testing in the province, and these 5 systems are currently running at the maximum capacity. Because the complicated situation of COVID-19 epidemic is increasing, the number of cases is rocketing, and there is no sign of decreasing, along with the large number cases of F1, F2, etc., the demand for testing is gradually huge. Therefore, the Provincial People's Committee proposed the Ministry of Health to provide the Dong Nai health sector with a number of testing systems known as SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) in order to promptly perform the tests during the process of COVID-19 in prevention and control in the province.

In addition, the Provincial People's Committee also requested the Ministry of Health to authorize the Dong Nai Department of Health to evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) of Hoan My International Hospital (known as ITO) so that the system could be put into operation in the soonest time. This hospital has added another system of SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) and is waiting for the evaluation of Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for operation. Due to the actual epidemic situation of social distance, the professional team of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City has not yet come for the appraisal.

Quoc Khanh