Severe heat, many elderly people and children had to be hospitalized
Over the past 10 days, Nghe An province has been experiencing exceptionally severe heat with the highest temperatures commonly ranging from 37-39 degrees Celsius, with some places reaching over 40 degrees Celsius. This has affected the health of many people, especially the elderly and children. The number of patients hospitalized has increased.
The number of patients increased
These days, hot and humid air always covers hospitals in Vinh city. The space in the hospitals is even more stuffy when there are many patients coming for examination and treatment. The number of patients is concentrated in the morning. Doctors and nurses are also tired because of overload; patients are tired because of heat and waiting...
Mrs. Tran Thi Hoa (60 years old, in Hung Nguyen district) brought her grandchild (8 months old) to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for examination and shared: “The baby has a mild fever, cough, runny nose, wheezing, fussiness, refuses to breastfeed, and has a poor appetite. The family is worried about the baby's health so they took her to the doctor... It's so hot, moving around is already tiring, waiting for the examination is even more tiring. I just hope the baby doesn't have to be hospitalized."
Sharing the same tiredness as Mrs. Hoa and many others, Mr. Lo Van Quyet (38 years old, in Yen Thang commune, Tuong Duong district) sat listlessly in the hospital waiting room. Mr. Quyet said: “My son is LTB, 8 years old this year. LTB has congenital hemolytic anemia. Since he was 2 years old, every month he has to go to the hospital for treatment for about 10 days... Currently, mother and son are in the special care room. During the day, I stay outside, sitting in the lobby to avoid the heat, and I buy and send whatever mother and son need. At night, I will find a cool place to sleep.”
According to statistics from Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, during this hot season, on average, there are about 1,000 patients coming to see the doctor every day. Of these, 600 - 800 are children. The number of seriously ill patients is much higher than normal days, causing the hospital to be constantly overloaded.
Doctor Vuong Thi Minh Nguyet - Head of the Examination Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said: About 30% of children coming for examination have to be hospitalized for treatment. Children are hospitalized mainly due to some common diseases during hot weather such as viral fever, respiratory diseases, pneumonia, bronchitis, adenoiditis, skin diseases, allergies, diarrhea...
The reason for the increase in the number of hospitalized children is that the weather in Nghe An is hot at this time, with the average temperature above 40 degrees Celsius. The heat combined with strong southwest winds makes the weather even more stuffy and uncomfortable, disrupting people's lives. In particular, children's resistance is not high, so they are susceptible to respiratory, digestive and infectious diseases.
Similar to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, the heat also increased the total number of patients coming for examination and treatment at the Provincial General Hospital. In particular, the number of seriously ill patients who had to be hospitalized for emergency care also increased.
Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Huu Tan - Head of the Emergency Department, Nghe An General Hospital said: During these hot days, the number of patients entering the department has increased, averaging about 220 - 230 patients/day, an increase of 15-20% compared to normal days. Common diseases during this period are chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, strokes... The patients are mainly in the elderly group.
According to Dr. Tan, in addition to chronic diseases, the number of patients with injuries such as traffic accidents and drowning in children has also increased. In addition, the number of patients with heatstroke and heat shock who have to be admitted to the emergency room is also quite large... In this hot weather, the Emergency Department always turns on the central air conditioning system 24/24 hours, arranges enough human resources and is ready to mobilize more human resources for emergency care, quickly transfers patients to departments and rooms to stabilize treatment and avoid overload.
Enhance "cooling"
In these severe hot conditions, hospitals in Vinh city have been looking for ways to "cool down" and protect patients from the heat. Specifically, Nghe An General Hospital has improved ventilation conditions in areas with a large number of patients and their relatives; increased fans and air conditioners in patient rooms and waiting areas; provided free water to patients; covered corridors between buildings in the hospital, helping patients and their relatives move easily and avoid direct exposure to the heat; and promoted communication on disease prevention and control due to extreme hot weather.
Similarly, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has also proactively implemented many measures to reduce heat and prevent heat, in order to limit the negative impacts of the weather on the health of hospital staff, patients and their families.
Accordingly, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital provides free drinking water and high-capacity fans to patients and their relatives in clinical departments and waiting rooms. At the same time, the Administration Department has deployed maintenance and repair of fans and air conditioners in departments, rooms and centers in the hospital to serve and improve the satisfaction of patients and medical staff.
The solutions that hospitals have implemented have helped patients and their families to some extent. However, it must be said that due to the large number of people and the extreme weather, the air in hospitals is still stuffy, stuffy and hot... In these weather conditions, if patients have a hard time, the people who take care of them have to work even harder.
According to doctors: Hot weather has been and will be strongly affecting the health of many people, especially children and the elderly. With the current weather developments, it is likely that the number of hospitalized children and the elderly will increase. Everyone needs to be aware of maintaining their health to avoid the situation of "one sick person, many people have to suffer".
The elderly need to pay attention to avoiding the heat; should stay indoors, in cool areas; should not go outdoors when the temperature is high. People with chronic diseases need to manage well, take full medication on time; drink plenty of water; and have regular health check-ups.
Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Huu Tan - Head of Emergency Department,
Nghe An General Friendship Hospital
Hot weather is a favorable environment for bacteria and viruses to grow. Parents need to pay attention to environmental hygiene and personal hygiene for children, including hand hygiene before eating, after playing, cleaning toys; giving children hygienic food; cooked food, boiled water, ensuring food safety and hygiene; increasing children's water, fruit juice, and vitamin-rich fruits; fully vaccinating... When children show signs of abnormal health, they should be taken to the nearest medical facility for timely consultation and treatment by a doctor.
Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Thanh Khoi - Head of Gastroenterology Department,
Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital
Doctors recommend: Do not change the ambient temperature suddenly. Families that use air conditioners should only set the temperature at 27 - 28 degrees, absolutely do not set the temperature too low because it can easily cause colds, respiratory infections; cause heat shock, stroke, acute heart failure...
