Vietnam plans to build makeshift hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in province bordering Cambodia
Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 17:14 GMT+7
Two field hospitals for COVID-19 treatment would be built in a province sitting along the Vietnam-Cambodia, according to a plan inveiled by a senior doctor from Ho Chi Minh City.
The two makeshift hospitals would be constructed in Ha Tien City and Rach Gia City, both located in Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, said Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, director of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, after a field trip to the province on Sunday.
Cho Ray Hospital doctors will work with authorities in Kien Giang on the construction of a 500-bed hospital in Ha Tien and another 500-bed hospital in Rach Gia, Dr. Thuc elaborated.
Kien Giang has a 56km border with Cambodia, which has recorded more than 7,700 COVID-19 cases so far, including over 300 new infections recorded on Wednesday, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health said, adding that Vietnam is at risk of transmission from border jumpers from the neighbording country.
Thirteen seasoned medical professionals from Cho Ray, a top general hospital in southern Vietnam, have been seconded to Kien Giang to help local health workers cope with contagion threats from Cambodia.
The health ministry, Cho Ray Hospital, and the Pasteur Insitute in Ho Chi Minh City will provide assistance in testing, medical equipment, and treatment to Kien Giang, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on Sunday.
The Kien Giang administration has suggested that the health ministry prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for residents on the province’s Phu Quoc Island as a precautionary measure, for border jumpers have been found entering mainland Vietnam from Cambodia via this island.
Vietnam has registered 2,801 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon, with 2,490 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths, according to the health ministry’s data.
Health workers had administered the first shot of AstraZeneca vaccine to 106,929 people in 27 provinces and cities by 4:00 pm on Tuesday, the government said in a report on Wednesday morning.
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