Hanoi (VNA) – Private medical establishments should stay alert to the spread ofthe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the country has entered the second phaseof disease prevention and control, said an official from the Ministry of Health(MoH).

“The mostimportant thing for private hospitals now is to early detect, promptly quarantineand transfer COVID-19 cases to concentrated treatment facilities,” said the Associate Professor, Dr. Luong NgocKhue, head of the MoH’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment,at a March 9 training session for over 200 officials from private generalclinics and hospitals in Hanoi on how to prevent and control the disease.   

At present,in Hanoi, coronavirus patients are treated at the National Hospital forTropical Diseases in Kim Chung commune, Dong Anh district to avoid infection inthe inner city.

He urged private hospitals and their health workers to strictly follow the regulationsof the MoH, not discriminate and refuse to treat COVID-19 patients, and onlyaccess official news sources provided by the MoH and the municipal Health Department.

Earlier, on March 8, the Ministry of Health told private hospitals in HCMCity to screen any patient suspected of contracting COVID-19.

During an inspection, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said thehospitals had properly set up areas for screening and isolation, andwere measuring body temperature, disinfecting hands, and distributingmedical masks for people visiting them.

If patients have symptoms of cough, fever and difficulty in breathing,they are asked about their history of travelling. If theyhave travelled to countries and areas where COVID-19has broken out, they will be sent to the hospitals’ isolated areas.

The private hospitals will then contact the National Hospital for TropicalDiseases to receive assistance in diagnosis. They will also have toreport these patients to the city's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

During the inspection, Son checked medical supplies at the hospitals andinquired about the criteria they were using to test suspectedcases.  

He instructed private hospitals to limit the use of air conditionersand open doors at least twice a day for air ventilation.

On February 26, the ministry ordered health departments in the country tostrengthen management and early detection of suspected cases at privatehospitals and health clinics.

Missed cases at these facilities could be dangerous for the community, Sonsaid.

He ordered private hospitals to change their process of patient admissionand treatment to reduce the number of health officials who havedirect contact with patients.

Hong Ngoc Hospital in Hanoi received the 17th COVID-19 patient and quarantined 17health workers who had direct contact with the patient.

The ministry has issued an action plan on the Government's COVID-19response with four levels, including the highest level when thedisease spreads widely in the community. Provinces and cities haveprepared to set up hospitals for quarantining coronavirus patients./.