New medical establishments for COVID-19 treatment open in HCM City
A new intensive care unit (ICU) and a hospital for COVID-19 treatment were inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18 to meet demand for treatment in the country’s largest hotspot.
HCM City (VNA) - A new intensive care unit (ICU) and a hospital for COVID-19 treatment were inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18 to meet demand for treatment in the country’s largest hotspot.
The ICU at the COVID-19 treatment hospital No.14 managed by the Hue Central Hospital has more than 300 medical workers. There are 500 beds and the number can be raised to 600 if necessary.
With support from Novaland Group, the construction of the centre was finished in a short time and it may receive patients in the next few days, according to Director of the Hue Central Hospital Dr Pham Nhu Hiep.
The Tan Binh COVID-19 treatment hospital managed by Thong Nhat Hospital opened in HCM City’s Tan Binh district on the same day.
This is the first hospital for COVID-19 treatment in the city to provide treatment for all three kinds of COVID-19 patients – those with mild, medium or serious illness. Others of its kind in the city are usually specialised in one of the three patient groups.
With a total of 1,000 beds, the hospital arranged 50 beds for patients who need intensive care, 150 beds for patients who are in critical health conditions, 500 beds for patients with medium illness and 300 beds for patients with mild illness.
Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital and Tan Binh COVID-19 treatment hospital, said that as existing hospitals across the city were all overloaded due to increasing COVID-19 infections, it was difficult to transfer COVID-19 patients between facilities.
Thanh said that the newly established hospital for COVID-19 treatment would help patients reduce travel time and access proper medical care as soon as they were taken to the hospital.
The hospital would make necessary adjustments to match practical demand and ensure effective treatment, he added.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son, who is leading the ministry’s task force to support HCM City in COVID-19 prevention and control, said that together with existing facilities in the city, the Tan Binh hospital would create convenience for COVID-19 patients in accessing medical care quickly and effectively./.
About 160 billion VND (7 million USD) has been raised from businesses during a programme launched by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) on August 17 to support people affected by COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc has agreed to conduct vaccination against COVID-19 for foreigners living, studying and working in the city, within its capacity and resources, according to a document the People’s Committee Office sent to the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health on August 17.
The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has proposed the Government provide the city with nearly 28 trillion VND (1.2 billion USD) and 142,000 tonnes of rice to assist poor people and labourers during the period of social distancing under the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long recommended pandemic hotspot Ho Chi Minh City strictly enforce social distancing measures and implement in-place social welfare packages at a meeting on care and treatment of COVID-19 patients and pandemic control with the local authorities on August 17.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
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Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
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The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
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The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
New intensive care unit in HCM City (Photo: VNA) 
