Ministry suggests oxygen station for HCM City

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has asked HCM City authorities to build an oxygen station since the Covid-19 outbreak is still serious with a rising number of patients in critical condition.

Oxygen is important to Covid-19 patients

Long worked with HCM City People's Committee on August 17 regarding Covid-19 treatments. Tang Chi Thuong, deputy head of HCM City Department of Health said they had launched healthcare packages for patient zeros to be treated at home, aid for the city's medical facilities, research and use of Covid-19 medicines.

Long encouraged the city to screen and treat patient zeros at home to ease the pressure on the health system. He also urged the city authorities to set up more quick-response teams at wards and communes to help patients that have a sudden turn for the worse.

"Testing and providing aids immediately at the patients' homes will help limit the spread of the virus," Long said. "If we can set up oxygen stations in wards and communes for emergency cases, people will feel more reassured."

Facilities that treat patients over 50 years old, with underlying conditions that cannot take care of themselves must have oxygen tanks, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory medicines. After the patients get better in seven to ten days, they can be discharged.

"The city authorities must punish public hospitals and revoke the business permits of private hospitals if they refuse to accept patients," he said.