Pediatrics Hospital Faces Overcrowding

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien on April 4 asked other hospitals in the capital city and neighboring provinces to support the National Hospital of Pediatrics, which has been strained by overcrowding over the last two months. Meeting with representatives of the Hanoi Health Department and hospitals, he said the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management should oversee patient transfers to other hospitals in a streamlined process. He also recommended that parents of children with respiratory problems visit local hospitals first. The meeting followed media reports that the number of children admitted to the National Pediatrics Hospital in Hanoi had increased sharply in the last two months, causing overcrowding and a shortage of medical equipment for treatment. From 1,400 in February, the number has shot up to almost 1,700 in April, 30% more than the hospital's capacity, the reports said.

They cited deputy director of the hospital, Le Thanh Hai, as saying three or four children had to share a bed in certain wards. About 100-120 patients suffering from serious illnesses need respiratory ventilators while 200-250 need oxygen cylinders. The respiratory department has 14 doctors and 36 nurses, meaning each doctor is in charge of 21 patients, half of whom need respiratory ventilators. The communicable diseases department, meanwhile, is handling over 200 measles patients and facing a shortage of equipment, doctors said.

Among the patients, almost 500 are from Hanoi, about 50 are from Bac Ninh province and others are from the neighboring provinces of Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, Haiphong, Bac Giang, and central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.(Vienamplus.vn April 5)