“We have to go outside to get blood tests done, wait for the results to bring back to the hospital, and then we have to bring our own medicine, syringes, needles, adhesive tape… for the doctors to treat us. It’s incredibly difficult…”, confided many patients currently being treated at the provincial general hospital.
The patient is suffering.
Mr. Nguyen Van H (Ham Chinh commune, Ham Thuan Bac district) went to the hospital for examination due to severe abdominal pain. After the examination, the doctor requested that he be admitted for intestinal surgery. He said: Before the surgery, he had to undergo blood tests, but he was told by medical staff that he had to take the samples to a private testing facility on Pham Ngoc Thach street (Phan Thiet city) to pay for the tests and wait for the results. “I went to the clinic without any family members, so I had to call my younger sibling to come and help. Furthermore, even though I have health insurance, I still had to pay at the private testing facility,” Mr. H shared.
Furthermore, Mr. H added that after the surgery, when it came time for IV fluids and medication, the medical staff asked him to prepare syringes because they had "run out of medical supplies." Therefore, he had to ask his family to buy a dozen syringes.
With her child hospitalized in the General Surgery Department, Ms. Hoang Thi Anh Hong (Ham Hiep commune, Ham Thuan Bac district) also faced many difficulties due to the hospital's shortage of medical supplies. "Just yesterday, the nurses asked me to buy an IV needle to administer antibiotics to my son. Not only that, we even had to source adhesive bandages for the wound. So many things seem inadequate," Ms. Hong said.
According to Ms. Hong, these supplies weren't available in the hospital, but most convenience stores outside the hospital had plenty. "Seeing me struggling to find a pharmacy, they asked what I wanted to buy. I said IV needles and adhesive tape. They said they had everything. Then they said IV needles were 10,000 dong each, and adhesive tape was 25,000 dong a roll. I said, 'Why are they so expensive?' They said, 'Go to a pharmacy and buy them.' Thinking I didn't have transportation, I just bought them to get it over with," Ms. Hong recounted.
Indeed, the recent shortage of medical supplies and medicines throughout the country in general and in the province in particular has caused more hardship and suffering than ever before for many patients, especially poor patients with difficult circumstances.
Difficult hospital
The shortage of medical supplies in hospitals has caused many problems in the treatment and healthcare of patients. This is no longer an isolated issue affecting only a few hospitals, but is now being experienced by almost all provincial and district-level hospitals, and has lasted for nearly two years.
Many nurses I know feel exhausted by the fact that many patients don't understand, don't sympathize, and react very strongly. "Explaining the shortage of medical supplies to patients takes up a lot of our time every day. It's embarrassing having to keep asking patients to buy this or that for their treatment, especially those in difficult circumstances. Therefore, we often have to borrow or ask for supplies from other patients to help them. Looking back, we feel powerless," shared a nurse at the provincial general hospital.
Many experienced and reputable doctors also stated that in many cases, patients have to be transferred to other hospitals not because they cannot be treated, but because of a lack of supplies, spare parts, and chemicals needed for patient treatment. When explaining this to patients, they are often met with frustration: "The regulations for purchasing medical supplies have been in place for a long time, so why are the difficulties and inefficiencies only emerging now?" "We ourselves don't want this to happen either. We are waiting for practical policies to improve the shortage of medicines, chemicals, and supplies currently occurring in public hospitals. Because if this situation continues, the disadvantages will not only fall on the patients, but we ourselves will also feel heartbroken, having to stand by and watch because of the lack of everything needed to serve patients...", this doctor added.
A leader of the provincial general hospital stated that the Government has issued Decree 07, amending and supplementing several articles of Decree No. 98/2021/ND-CP dated November 8, 2021, on the management of medical equipment, in order to address existing shortcomings and inadequacies. “In the field of medical equipment, even with a decree in place, we still have to wait for circulars and guidelines for implementation. We have the money, but we can't buy it or participate in the bidding process,” this leader said.
"All the burdens fall on the patients," meaning all the difficulties are now directed towards them. More than ever, relevant authorities, units, and individuals need to quickly fulfill their responsibilities to procure medicines, medical supplies, and equipment to treat patients. At this time, we truly need officials who are willing to serve the people, who dare to think, dare to act, dare to take responsibility, and dare to promptly report and propose solutions to difficulties and obstacles. Only then will patients no longer face the hardships they are currently experiencing.
Medical supplies is a general term encompassing: disposable materials (such as gloves, IV tubing, breathing tubes, needles, medicine containers, etc.); medical instruments (such as stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors, thermometers for examinations; surgical knives, scissors, forceps, surgical needles... or endoscopic instruments); and chemicals and biological reagents for testing.
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