Over 16,000 experts, medical workers sent to southern region: Health Minister
More than 16,000 experts and medical workers have been deployed by the Ministry of Health to Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Minister Nguyen Thanh Long.
Inside a COVID-19 treatment hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: vtv.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) - More than 16,000 experts and medical workers have been deployedby the Ministry of Health to Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to fightthe COVID-19 pandemic, according to Minister Nguyen Thanh Long.
At an online meeting on August 29 of the National Steering Committee forCOVID-19 Prevention and Control with 1,060 communes, wards and towns in 20provinces and cities now under social distance measures, under the chair of Prime Minister Pham MinhChinh, Minister Long also announced that the ministry has mobilized a large volume of equipment, ventilators, and medical supplies to send to these localities.
The ministry has established and operated effectively 11resuscitation centres for patients in critical conditions in the southern region, with six inHo Chi Minh City, contributing to reducing the mortality rate.
Regarding vaccination against COVID-19, as of August 26, 19southern localities had been allocated with more than 12.3 million doses, ofwhich about 10.5 million doses had been administered, including more than 9.9million first jabs, Long stated.
Ho Chi Minh City alone had vaccinated more than 5.78 milliondoses (81.6 percent), including nearly 5.6 million first injections.
As of August 28, Vietnam had administered more than 19.2million doses of vaccines against COVID-19./.
Vietnam recorded 12,663 COVID-19 infections, including 12,619 domestic and 44 imported cases, in the past 24 hours to 6pm on August 29, the Ministry of Health announced.
A hospital providing treatment for severe and critical COVID-19 patients in Hanoi and northern localities will be put into operation on September 1 after one month of construction.
Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC has been asked to provide more data for consideration before a registration certificate of conditional circulation for its Nano Covax can be granted.
The Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs' Association (VYEA) and the Ho Chi Minh City Young Physicians Association have jointly launched a programme called “ATM - Medical bags” to support COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at home in the city which has been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has allowed shippers to resume operations in eight COVID-19 “red zones” under certain conditions from August 30.
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.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
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.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
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.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
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.
Inside a COVID-19 treatment hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: vtv.vn) 
