Many hospitals and medical centers across Da Nang are in full swing in taking appropriate measures to ensure the ultimate safety of their staff, patients and visitors in an attempt to adapt to the new normal in the light of Covid-19 outbreak.

Medical facilities are taking proactive actions to protect their staff, patients and visitors from coronavirus. The reception for patients at the Son Tra District Medical Centre is implemented in a strict manner.

Since the reopening to the public late last moth following the lifting of compulsory lockdown over its links to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Da Nang General Hospital, the largest of its kind in the city, has made appropriate adjustments to its operation in order adapt itself to the changing situation around the coronavirus.

Doctor Nguyen Thanh Trung, the hospital’s Deputy Director said the hospital is taking possible measures in a bid to minimise any possible risk of transmission of Covid-19 to staff, patients and visitors.

In detail, the most effective infection prevention measures such as wearing face coverings and hand washing regularly with either soap with water or alcohol hand rub are now mandatory in the hospital. Also, the safe distance between in-patient beds in the hospital are completely ensured.

In addition, special attention is paid cleaning all medical examinations and treatment wards in the hospital, with a focus on increasing the frequency of cleaning commonly-touched surfaces and objects with disinfectant.

Likewise, upon their arrivals at the Da Nang Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital for normal health checkups and treatment, all visitors are required to queue for their body temperature measured and their epidemiological information declared through the app at covidmaps.danang.gov.vn

Anyone who appears to show respiratory symptoms will be examined in a separate area offering sufficient medical services ranging from clinical checkups to diagnostic ultrasound tests.

In a similar vein, according to doctor Nguyen Van Thuyen, the Deputy Director of the Son Tra District Medical Centre, his medical facility has strived to ensure good practices of coronavirus prevention measures. “The maximum number of inpatients allowed for treatment in our medical facility is now less than 150, nearly half of its actual capacity. The priority is now given to treating critically ill patients, while those with milder diseases are treated as out-patients, in a bid to minimum the patient overload here”, said doctor Thuyen.

The most effective infection prevention measures such as wearing face coverings and hand washing regularly with either soap with water or alcohol hand rub are now mandatory in all local medical facilities

Since late last month, the Da Nang Department of Health has set up inspection teams to monitor and evaluate the practice of coronavirus prevention and control measures in all public and private medical facilities across the city.

Any medical facilities in the city are found failing to adopt Vietnamese Ministry of Health-recommended infection prevention and control measures will be temporarily barred from receiving patients for health checkups and treatments.

The conducting of surprise inspection visits to the city-based medical facilities demonstrates an active response to a set of criteria recently released by Vietnamese Ministry of Health to respond to diseases related to Covid-19 and acute respiratory infections.

“Medical facilities nationwide are found failing to adopt Vietnamese Ministry of Health-recommended infection prevention and control measures must be suspended from operation. If violations continue, the hospitals' directors will hold responsibilities for that no matter the hospitals are public or private,” previously said Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

By PHAN CHUNG – Translated by A.T