HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Temporary hospitals, which used totreat thousands of COVID-19 patients during the fourth wave of the pandemic inHo Chi Minh City, have returned to normal after completing their life savingmissions.

Doctors who worked around the clock to treat patients as the citywas grappling with the devastating consequences of the pandemic have also goneback to their normal working pace.

“A year ago when the pandemic reached its peak in HCM City, wewere in rush to build a field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients in Tan Binh district,”said Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital.

The 1,000-bed hospital lacked many resources and equipment, justlike other field hospitals in the city, he said.

There was a severe lack of medical supplies ranging from smallitems like gloves, masks or PPE to medical equipment and oxygen tanks. Theseitems were then transferred from other hospitals, including the Thong NhatHospital, Tan Binh General Hospital, and CDC Tan Binh and donated bybusinesses, organisations and individuals, which helped to meet the greatdemand.

The field hospital was tasked with treating patients with varioustypes of symptoms, from minor to severe.

Patients here were of various ages including more than 100 withseveral underlying conditions, some in wheelchairs, and other who had sufferedheart attacks.

“There were people who seemed to be unable to recover but turnedout to be strong and eventually recovered from the disease,” the doctor added.

Duong Minh Duc, a leading professor of mathematics, was among thesevere cases treated at the hospital.

He was hospitalised last year with shortness of breath,respiratory failure, diffuse pneumonia in both lungs, and low blood oxygenlevels, doctor Thanh said.

He fell into a very heavy cytokine storm and suffered from manyother medical conditions.

Thanks to the successful treatment, the mathematician recoveredand returned to his normal life.

“We didn’t think that the city could return to normal life thisfast. A year ago, when I opened the door, I would be filled with the constantbeep sound of ventilators and the cries of patients,” Thanh said.

Every space of the hospital, from corridors to the lawn, was usedfor the treatment of patients.

“Today with the pandemic under control, I feel happy and proud forhaving contributed a small part to the fight against the pandemic,” said Thanh.

The hospital faced many difficulties post-pandemic but now itsmedical examination and treatment activities have returned to normalcy, hesaid.

During the fourth wave of COVID-19, the most devastating, HCM Citybuilt 32 temporary hospitals with a total capacity of 42,798 beds and transferthe function of 64 hospitals with a total of 17,062 beds for COVID-19 treatmentpurposes.

As of July 15, the city has reported more than 612,400 cases ofCOVID-19 infection and 19,984 deaths. Nearly 22 million doses of vaccines havebeen administered in the southern city./.