The medical ethics of Nghe An doctors in the Southern land

65 days of fighting for life

With Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hiep (working at Nghe An General Friendship Hospital; Head of the medical team, doctors supportingHo Chi Minh City(HCMC) fighting the epidemic), the 65 days of increasing the number of people and treating Covid-19 patients at Trung Vuong Hospital were days of continuous struggle, fighting for life, unforgettable. It was like a slow-motion movie, full of "birth, death", "joy, anger, love, hate" and the hot and cold colors... very humane.

Trung Vuong Hospital treats severe and critical Covid-19 patients. Photo: NDH

Doctor Nguyen Dinh Hiep recounted the 65-day "journey" of the Nghe An medical staff: On July 12, the Nghe An medical staff departed for Ho Chi Minh City to fight the epidemic, including 60 doctors and nurses - These were the staff who volunteered to register and go on the trip. Everyone was enthusiastic and determined. After arriving, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health assigned the team to work at Trung Vuong Hospital.

Trung Vuong Hospital was originally a general hospital. After the outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, it was converted to treat severe and critical Covid-19 patients. At the time the team started working, the hospital had 1,000 beds and 400 medical staff and doctors. The hospital in general and the medical staff and doctors were always overloaded. 60 medical staff from Nghe An were assigned to departments. Depending on the severity of the patient, the number of doctors and nurses were arranged accordingly.

Nghe An medical staff quickly joined in, working in shifts, participating in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Photo: NDH

The medical staff of Nghe An quickly joined in, working in shifts, participating in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Patients came in, and the condition continued to worsen. Everyone was the same, the doctors and nurses were caught up in their work, working continuously, at a high level, trying their best to save the patients' lives. A shift of 2 doctors, 4-5 nurses had to take care of and treat 60-80 patients... Almost everyone had to "work their butts off" during their entire shift.

In the first days of performing the task of treating patients at Trung Vuong Hospital, doctors and nurses in Nghe An encountered many difficulties and confusion in their work because they were not familiar with the working environment as well as the nature of the work. Specifically, having to wear protective clothing all day long was extremely uncomfortable, causing skin damage, dehydration and electrolyte loss, loss of strength leading to fainting. Next, at the Hospital, the number of critically ill and deceased patients was very large.

During the process of caring for and treating seriously ill patients at Trung Vuong Hospital, many medical staff were cross-infected with Covid-19. Photo: NDH

According to Dr. Hiep: Seeing patients getting worse and dying, everyone in the group was stressed and psychologically shocked. Each person was shocked to a different degree. Some members changed their way of speaking and behaving "unconsciously". Some people became depressed - fortunately, the group recognized this early and helped each other with psychological and ideological therapy to return to work soon.

In the process of caring for and treating seriously ill patients at Trung Vuong Hospital, risks are inevitable. Many medical staff have been cross-infected with Covid-19, including 4 doctors and nurses in Nghe An. During the entire treatment process of the 4 doctors and nurses, the team members and the Department of Health regularly cared, encouraged, shared, and visited them, so their determination to defeat the epidemic was very high. All 4 doctors and nurses were extremely resilient, complied well with the treatment process, recovered quickly and soon returned to the "front line" with their teammates.

Nghe An medical staff have worked with all their might, dedicating themselves with a spirit of discipline and high work efficiency. Photo: NDH

Another difficulty was that the food did not suit the taste, so the health of the team members declined in the early days. However, everyone soon overcame it, adapted, integrated, gradually got used to the work, and then worked hard, devoted themselves with a spirit of discipline and high work efficiency. This was highly recognized and praised by the leaders of Trung Vuong Hospital, the Department of Health and the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

Clearly identifying themselves as volunteer medical staff, strengthening the fight against the epidemic for a certain period of time, Nghe An doctors and nurses volunteered to work continuously without stopping. That continuous work is to "share the burden" for local doctors and nurses to have more time off (working 4 weeks, then getting 2 weeks off), meeting the requirements of long-term epidemic prevention in Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition to sharing the burden with their colleagues, doctors and nurses in Nghe An also joined the people of Ho Chi Minh City in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic. Taking advantage of the precious 1-2 days off, doctors and nurses in Nghe An took advantage of their free time to donate blood, go to districts to provide health check-ups, vaccinate people against Covid-19, and participate in many other volunteer activities.

The Nghe An medical staff delegation was highly appreciated by the Party Committee, government and people of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: NDH

After 65 days and nights of fighting the Covid-19 epidemic with colleagues at Trung Vuong Hospital, Nghe An doctors and nurses have contributed to helping many seriously ill patients recover and regain their health; contributing to the Party Committee, government and people of Ho Chi Minh City to gradually control the Covid-19 epidemic. Doctor Nguyen Dinh Hiep said: Compared to the time when it first entered, the epidemic situation in Ho Chi Minh City has now made a huge difference. The number of patients has gradually decreased, and the hospital is less overloaded.

Returning to Nghe An after 65 memorable days in Ho Chi Minh City, 60 medical staff are currently in centralized quarantine for 7 days, then quarantined at home for another 7 days. When their health is stable and their test results are safe, they will return to their old units to treat patients and fight the epidemic in their home province. Doctor Hiep said: "We are ready to continue on the road when required, when the Covid-19 epidemic threatens the health and lives of people."

Soon the day of victory triumphant song

Field Hospital No. 4 of Binh Duong province is located in Bau Bang district. Photo: NTT

To reinforce localities nationwide in fighting the epidemic, Nghe An province has sent 270 medical staff to join working groups to carry out the task. At this time, Nghe An has 141 doctors and medical staff continuing to accompany the southern provinces in fighting the epidemic, including the "epicenter" of the province.Binh Duong…The medical staff delegation from Nghe An province to reinforce Binh Duong province consists of 60 people, from 20 medical units in the province; departing for Binh Duong to fight the epidemic on July 28, 2021.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Tuan (working at Vinh Medical University; Head of the medical team supporting Binh Duong province to fight the epidemic) said: Immediately after arriving in Binh Duong, the team was assigned to perform treatment tasks at Field Hospital No. 4 of Binh Duong province located in Bau Bang district from the end of July 2021 until now. Also in the general situation, the work of preventing and fighting Covid-19 here has encountered many difficulties and hardships, but the doctors and medical staff are all highly determined and have performed their tasks well.

There are about 3,000 Covid-19 patients being treated at Field Hospital No. 4. Photo: NTT

Field Hospital No. 4 of Binh Duong province is located in a large factory of a company. This factory has just been completed, but has not been put into operation yet, so it is used as a field hospital. The number of Covid-19 patients treated at the hospital always fluctuates around 3,000 patients. Among them, there are quite a few patients with severe symptoms, requiring oxygen. The total number of doctors and nurses at the hospital is 75 people (including 60 doctors and nurses from Nghe An and 15 doctors and nurses from Bau Bang District Medical Center); divided into 3 shifts, 4 teams (each team has 15-20 people) to treat patients.

It must be said that: Treatment for Covid-19 patients at Field Hospital No. 4 in Binh Duong province is extremely difficult due to limited facilities. For example, the entire hospital only has 60-80 toilets, shared by all 3,000 patients, with high risks of cross-infection. Due to the large number of patients, the supply of domestic water and drinking water is also very difficult. The number of medical staff is small, so doctors and nurses have to work at a very high capacity and intensity...

With a large number of patients, doctors and nurses are working very hard to treat and help patients. Photo: NTT

The living conditions of the Nghe An medical team in Bau Bang district were also very difficult. When Bau Bang was a newly established district, there were no hotels or motels in the area. The team had to stay temporarily at a kindergarten in the area... At the time the team took up their duties, Binh Duong recorded 4,000 - 5,000 new infections per day and at the peak of the epidemic shortly after, this number reached 8,000 - 9,000 new infections per day. Witnessing the devastation of the epidemic affecting social and human life, many doctors and nurses of the team were shocked and afraid of being infected... especially female staff with young children.

At the hospital, Nghe An medical staff are the main personnel responsible for treating patients. Photo: NTT

Dr. Tuan shared: Amidst the difficult nature of the work, the lack of living conditions, and the "unsettled" mentality, the team members tried their best, constantly encouraged each other to persevere, overcome all difficulties, and treat patients well. - "We came here with the spirit of volunteering, fighting the epidemic like fighting the enemy, there is no reason to falter, we must persevere to complete the assigned tasks well. If the food is difficult to eat, we discussed with the hospital and asked the Department of Health of Binh Duong and Nghe An to contact a restaurant of Nghe Tinh people to help cook to suit the taste; buy more food from outside to increase nutrition".

A medical officer from Nghe An province takes a nap during a break at the Field Hospital. Photo: NTT

“To carry out our duties, we must pay attention to protecting ourselves from cross-infection. The lives of patients at the Field Hospital are more difficult than ours, so we need to try our best to treat, explain, and encourage them to share and overcome the pandemic. Each staff member needs to work more enthusiastically and energetically; must always be on duty 24/7 to promptly help and answer questions. We need to be gentle, sympathetic, and sharing so that patients have a positive and cooperative attitude…” – The delegation agreed and thoroughly understood this.

The timely encouragement of the Nghe An Department of Health, medical units, and the solidarity, help, and love of the staff in the delegation helped lift everyone's spirits a lot. Nghe An medical staff were confident and full of enthusiasm to fight Covid-19 to treat patients well and protect themselves from the risk of cross-infection.

See you on the day of victory. Photo: NTT

Dr. Nguyen Trong Tuan affirmed: According to statistics, the rate of Covid-19 patients in Binh Duong is only 0.9% of the total number of patients, much lower than the average and other provinces. This has partly proven the effectiveness of treatment and work of the team... On (September 18), the number of patients at Field Hospital No. 4 who recovered from the disease was 600 people and today is the same. The number of patients admitted is less than the number of patients who recovered, showing that the epidemic situation in Binh Duong is starting to be controlled, the peak of the epidemic has passed. The day Binh Duong wins the epidemic is near, the medical staff of Nghe An are trying their best for that goal. The day of victory, we will return!

Thanh Chung