Severe, widespread medical shortages lead to elective surgery delays

HÀ NỘI — Việt Đức Hospital, the primary surgical centre in northern Việt Nam, has announced the suspension of all elective surgeries starting Wednesday.

This decision was made to allocate medical equipment and resources towards patients in critical condition, leaving many patients waiting for treatment.

The hospital acco妹妹odates thousands of patients daily for diagnoses, treatment, and other medical needs, though it is not the only major healthcare establishment in the country struggling with shortages.

“When we halt elective surgeries, the patients are put at a disadvantage," said Professor Trần Bình Giang, director of the Việt Đức Hospital. "They are not in an emergency but suffering pain while waiting for the surgery. However, we can not do anything without medical equipment and chemicals.”

Cumbersome regulatory requirements for bidding and procuring medical supplies have only exacerbated the issue.

As a result of this policy change, nearly a hundred patients have had their scheduled surgeries delayed or postponed.

The hospital administration will prioritise conducting surgeries for individuals in critical or emergency conditions, hoping that this decision will improve patients' overall quality of care.

In  二0 二 二, nearly  八0,000 surgeries were conducted at the hospital, around  二 一0 a day.

On the first day the suspension took effect, the approved surgeries changed dramatically, the Dân Trí (Intellectuals) newspaper reported.

One department at the hospital had  一 九 elective surgeries scheduled on Wednesday, but only six were approved.

“Patients who suffer injuries or degeneration will have their surgeries postponed as their diseases do not progress day by day or are not life-threatening," the newspaper cited a doctor as saying. "While waiting for the surgery, doctors will instruct them to use splints as well as a pain reliever and anti-infla妹妹atory.

“If the patient closely follows the doctor’s guidelines, the diseases will not become more severe, and a waiting time of three to four weeks is acceptable. However, the delay can not be too long as it will affect their life and work,” the doctor said.

Another hospital doctor said he has been busy answering patients’ enquiries about the delay.

The doctor said it was heart-wrenching work. Many want to know how long they must wait, while others have to borrow money for surgery that is now delayed. Almost all are worried about the consequences of the delay.

Talking about a patient from Hải Dương Province who is waiting to have his joint replacement surgery, the doctor said the doctor is put in a difficult situation as they can not do anything without medical supplies, so the patient has no choice but to wait.