The Da Nang General Hospital on Friday morning received a 242 million VND Class II biosafety cabinet (BSC), which was jointly donated by the city-based Disaster Prevention Community Fund and the Ha Noi-headquartered Pacific Corporation Joint Stock Company. 

Ms Le Thi Thuc, the Executive Director of the Disaster Prevention Community Fund (left) presenting the biosafety cabinet to the Da Nang General Hospital

A biosafety cabinet (BSC), also called a biological safety cabinet or microbiological safety cabinet, is an enclosed, ventilated laboratory workspace for safely working with materials contaminated with (or potentially contaminated with) pathogens requiring a defined biosafety level. This specialised medical device is used in a biomedical and microbiological laboratory to protect users, laboratory materials and the environment, and assisting medical units in epidemic prevention and control.

Ms Le Thi Thuc, the Executive Director of the Disaster Prevention Community Fund said, “With all of our hearts for the frontliners in Da Nang's fight against Covid-19, we hope that the donated medical equipment will partly support the hospital’s efforts to fight coronavirus, thereby helping stop the spread of the coronavirus in Da Nang and its virus-hit neighbouring localities.

The Disaster Prevention Community Fund is a non-governmental organisation licensed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, operating on a not-for-profit basis.  Its main principle is to support localities nationwide to enhance their capacity to cope up with natural disasters, mitigate climate change and conduct other humanitarian activities.

When Da Nang braced for a first wave of Covid-19 infections in early this year, the Fund also donated 50 million VND to frontline health workers and first responders in response to an appeal made by the Da Nang Journalists’ Association-launched ‘Ly Ca Phe Yeu Thuong’ (Cup of Compassion Coffee) monthly programme.

By XUAN SON – Translated by A.T