Ready to provide healthcare for the people during Tet holiday.

(Baonghean)Every Lunar New Year, doctors and nurses at hospitals throughout our province prepare to celebrate the holiday with their patients. Being ready for 24/7 emergency duty to meet patients' medical needs, preparing New Year gifts to visit and encourage patients... these are the most practical ways to show the affection and responsibility of medical professionals towards their patients.

At the Provincial Friendship General Hospital, all preparations for emergency care, examination, and treatment for the public during the Lunar New Year holiday of the Year of the Snake (2013) are complete. During the holiday, the hospital has assigned 100 staff members to shifts, divided into four levels (leadership, departmental, specialized, and logistics), and internal and external emergency teams have been established and are ready to be on duty 24/7 to serve patients. The hospital has also prepared sufficient quantities of medicines and medical equipment to serve patients. Recognizing that the Lunar New Year is a time when injuries and emergencies frequently occur, the hospital leadership and the emergency department have developed a specific plan for on-call duty during the holiday. Sufficient quantities of medicines and blood transfusions have also been prepared to ensure adequate service for patients before, during, and after the Lunar New Year holiday of the Year of the Snake. Doctors will be on duty 24/7 in the emergency room to ensure that all patients transferred to the room receive timely care and emergency treatment. Specifically, the emergency department has organized three on-call shifts, each consisting of three doctors and six nurses on duty 24/7. In addition, a resident on-call team of one doctor and two nurses has been established to be ready to provide additional care in case of emergencies. In urgent cases with a large number of patients, the hospital will deploy additional personnel to the emergency room to ensure that 100% of patients receive timely emergency care. Furthermore, to motivate doctors, nurses, and staff on duty during Tet (Lunar New Year), in addition to the standard Tet duty allowance, each doctor, nurse, and staff member will receive an extra 100,000 VND from the hospital for each shift. Currently, the hospital still has over 800 patients receiving treatment. In the coming days, patients with mild cases who do not require medical equipment support will be facilitated to return home for Tet (Lunar New Year). It is estimated that this year, approximately 300 patients will have to spend Tet at the Provincial General Hospital. To boost the morale of the patients, the hospital leadership and departments have arranged for visits on the evening of the 29th and the morning of the 1st day of Tet to each patient's bedside to offer greetings, New Year wishes, and gifts.

Emergency treatment for patients at the Provincial General Hospital.

At the Oncology Hospital, according to Dr. Dau Huy Hoang, Deputy Director, in addition to mobilizing all resources to provide 24/7 emergency care for patients both inside and outside the hospital during the Lunar New Year of the Snake (2013) with sufficient supplies of medicines, chemicals, equipment, etc., the hospital also specifically instructed its staff to improve their service attitude towards patients during the Tet holiday. Besides gift-giving activities from provincial leaders and agencies to boost the morale of patients and medical staff, the hospital will hold an early Tet celebration on the evening of the 29th of the lunar month. Hospital leaders will visit, encourage, and give gifts to patients and medical staff on duty. It is expected that about 100 patients will have to celebrate Tet at the hospital this year, with each patient receiving a gift worth 200,000 VND. Furthermore, for patients in difficult circumstances who are unable to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year), the hospital management will have specific support plans to ensure that every patient has a warm and joyful Tet. The hospital management will regularly update the situation and information on each patient's circumstances to provide appropriate assistance and support, so that all patients can find joy in overcoming the pain of illness.

At the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, there is still an overload of 320 beds but 400 patients currently under treatment. Therefore, the hospital is trying to provide outpatient treatment for patients with mild conditions so they can return home for Tet (Lunar New Year). It is estimated that around 100-150 children will need to stay for treatment at the hospital this Tet. To ensure they have a happy Tet, the hospital management will organize a Tet celebration for the children and their families on the evening of the 29th of the lunar month. Each patient will receive a gift from the hospital management to show their support and encouragement. In addition, to ensure medical services for the public during Tet, the hospital has organized continuous 24/7 on-call teams. Each on-call team consists of over 50 doctors and nurses in four different levels, and each department has also established reserve teams to be ready for necessary cases. Emergency teams, both internal and external, are also on standby. To ensure that all patients receive timely medical examination and treatment, the hospital has arranged full on-call shifts, determined to promptly handle all cases without refusing or delaying any treatment.

115 General Hospital is one of the hospitals that consistently receives a large number of patients from both within and outside the province. The Tet holiday is identified by the hospital leadership as a peak period with a high volume of patients seeking medical treatment, especially those involved in traffic accidents and injuries. Therefore, the hospital leadership has directed departments and wards to strengthen preparations for any eventuality. To best serve patients, in addition to professional and physical preparations, the hospital has also instructed its cafeteria system to operate normally during Tet, providing meals for patients and medical staff. Notably, this year, approximately 90 patients will undergo hemodialysis during Tet. Therefore, the Hemodialysis Department will only close on the first day of the Lunar New Year, remaining open for the rest of the year to meet patient needs. It is expected that on the evening of the 29th of the lunar month, the hospital's management board will organize a New Year's Eve celebration and visit and give gifts to patients and medical staff on duty during Tet.

Preparations at hospitals for the Lunar New Year holiday are basically complete, and they are ready to receive and examine patients during the holiday. Despite facing difficulties, the medical staff remain determined to care for patients. Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc, Head of the Emergency Department at the Provincial General Hospital, shared: “During the Lunar New Year, everyone wants to be with their families, but with the encouragement and support of the hospital leadership and the trust of the people, we are always ready. Especially during occasions like this, we understand the hardships of patients and their families even more. Therefore, we doctors and nurses always remind and encourage each other to strive to do our best and provide attentive care to patients.”

Text and photos: Hong Quang