SGGP
From August 16 to 18, SGGP Newspaper published a series of information reflecting the reality of some ambulance companies overcharging, causing difficulties for patients. According to the Ministry of Health, foreign emergency care is an indispensable and important activity in the emergency system to improve the chances of survival for emergency patients. However, in reality, the foreign emergency care network in our country is still very thin and faces many difficulties in operation, leading to many unfortunate incidents such as the recent past.
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| Staff at the 115 Emergency Center in Ho Chi Minh City are checking medical equipment before coming to assist people. Photo: BUI TUAN |
Lack of human resources, weak material resources
Every day, the 115 Emergency Center in Ho Chi Minh City receives thousands of calls for assistance from people in the city, of which about 100-150 emergency cases are directly supported by the unit. Depending on the area, the operator will coordinate the center's vehicle or the satellite emergency station closest to the patient to transport them to emergency medical facilities in a timely manner. On average, each case, the ambulance will be present to assist people within 15-30 minutes from the time the call is received.
According to the representative of the 115 Emergency Center in Ho Chi Minh City, the total number of vehicles of the center and satellite stations is 79, of which the number of vehicles of the center is 40, with nearly 200 employees.
According to Dr. Le Huy Nguyen Tuan, Deputy Director of the 115 Emergency Center in Ho Chi Minh City, the center is still unable to meet the emergency needs of people in Ho Chi Minh City. Although a satellite emergency network has been established covering all districts with 39 stations, the team of doctors, nurses, and paramedics is still lacking; medical equipment at some satellite stations is still weak, not ensuring first aid.
“With the increasing number of emergency calls, the center currently only has one switchboard system to receive and coordinate calls with 12 lines, no backup system and is still using rudimentary technology,” informed Dr. Le Huy Nguyen Tuan.
Commenting on out-of-hospital emergency care, Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), said that emergency transportation plays a very important role in the medical examination and treatment system, but it is worrying that there are still many provinces and cities nationwide that do not have a 115 emergency center.
According to national statistics, only 11 provinces have public 115 emergency centers, 18 provincial general hospitals have 115 emergency teams, and 7 provinces have private 115 emergency centers. There are 27 provinces nationwide that do not have a pre-hospital emergency system. In particular, up to 17 provinces and cities do not have enough ambulances, mostly in big cities such as Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.
In terms of human resources and equipment, the entire emergency network has more than 6,000 people, of which doctors with emergency resuscitation certificates account for about 62%, and there are more than 1,350 ambulances.
“Emergency work still faces many difficulties. In urban areas, traffic and population density are high but means of transportation are limited. In rural areas, it is difficult to access services due to the distance from emergency centers, leading to difficulties in ensuring the golden time for pre-hospital emergency care,” said Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue.
Diversify types of emergency care
According to Mr. Tran Anh Thang, Deputy Director of Hanoi 115 Emergency Center, in recent years, the number of emergency requests from the center has been about 40,000 cases/year, the rate of patients receiving initial emergency treatment has reached over 88%. Since the beginning of 2023, 115 emergency stations have provided emergency care and transported more than 10,565 patients, with 15,333 emergency trips.
Recently, the Hanoi Department of Health has put the 115 Emergency Station in Dong Anh area into operation and this is the 8th emergency station covering the city. Currently, in Hanoi, there is the 115 Emergency Center and 7 115 emergency stations in the areas of Dong Da, Tay Ho, Ha Dong, Thanh Tri, Long Bien, Tu Liem and Dong Anh.
According to Dr. Le Huy Nguyen Tuan, currently the 115 emergency hotline is in charge of all support needs of people in Ho Chi Minh City, so the establishment of additional 115 emergency centers in charge of the region is very necessary.
The Ho Chi Minh City health sector is very hopeful about the project to develop a professional emergency care system by 2030. If approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, this will be a fundamental solution to improve emergency care capacity.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, developing a diversified out-of-hospital emergency network from road, waterway, and air, in a modern, professional direction is an indispensable task of the Ho Chi Minh City health sector. The city's health sector proactively set 5 goals for building an out-of-hospital emergency network, including: forming a system of 115 emergency centers and building a professional 115 emergency reception and coordination portal; continuing to improve the quality of out-of-hospital emergency services of satellite emergency stations and private emergency transport facilities; diversifying types of patient emergency transport (road, waterway, air), ensuring the needs and suitability with the geographical characteristics of Ho Chi Minh City.
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