Hanoi to ensure medicine supply during Tet holiday

For the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet), the country's biggest holiday, the Hanoi Department of Health has asked pharmaceutical businesses and public and private hospitals in the city to ensure the supply of medicines and good medical care for residents.

The move aims to ensure that emergencies, road accidents, and emergency births receive proper care during the nine-day holiday.

The department has announced a list of 41 public hospitals, 30 medical centers, the Hanoi 115 Emergency Center, 42 private hospitals, and one private polyclinic that will provide emergency services during the country's longest holiday.

A woman waits for medicine at a pharmacy in Hanoi. Photo: Cong Hung/The Hanoi Times

The Department has directed the 115 Emergency Response Center to have staff and ambulances on standby to ensure timely response to out-of-hospital emergencies.

Medicines must also be available to treat common winter and spring diseases such as dengue, Covid-19, influenza A, measles, rubella, rotavirus diarrhea, respiratory and digestive diseases. 

In addition, hospitals and the Hanoi Center for Disease Control are tasked with developing drug stocking plans and ensuring adequate supplies in accordance with the Ministry of Health's guidelines.

District health divisions, drug manufacturers and importers, and other pertinent entities were mandated by the city's health department to guarantee drug quality, set fair prices, and work to prevent price increases.

Local authorities will strengthen supervision of production and trade to detect counterfeit and substandard drugs and those that should not be circulating in the market. Inspectors will be required to impose strict penalties on perpetrators.

The department urged pharmacies to remain open and health clinics to assign staff to stay on duty around the clock during the Tet (lunar new year) holiday, closely monitor the situation, and ensure the supply of medicines.

The city's Preventive Medical Center and district-level health centers will be responsible for monitoring potential epidemics and working with the Hanoi Food Safety Management Board to ensure that no food-related incidents occur.

The department has taken measures to ensure that all emergencies during the holiday will be handled in a timely manner. Healthcare facilities in Hanoi must ensure that doctors and other medical staff are on duty 24 hours a day and that sufficient supplies of medicines and equipment are available.

Hospital managers, specialists, hotline physicians, and security personnel should be on call 24 hours a day during the holiday. The names of the medical staff on duty should be posted on the hospital information board.

The department has asked doctors not to refuse or delay any cases. "Doctors should also be prepared for an increase in the number of poisoning and stroke cases during this period."

It also asked health workers to pay special attention to those from poor and disadvantaged communities. In addition, hospitals will organize Tet celebrations for inpatients.

In addition, Hanoi's Health Department has drawn up a plan for hospitalization due to accidents, poisoning, and mass emergencies that may occur during Tet, such as stampedes in crowded tourist areas, traffic accidents, fights, victims of firecrackers, explosives, or food poisoning.

The functional units should submit their drug plan to the Hanoi Department of Health by December 25 for better coordination and to be announced in the media.