Hospitals are employing more guards or organising martial arts training for doctors amid rising number of hospital attacks.
Medical staff at Hung Vuong Hospital attend a martial arts class
Vietnam-Czech Friendship Hospital has heeded the call of Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kiem Tien to set up hotlines and police posts. Vice head of the hospital Nguyen Cong Binh said they received 1,800 in-patients and 1,000 out-patients on the daily basis. Besides the collaboration with the police, the hospital also rearranged the location of departments and provided communication training courses to staff.
Thong Nhat Hospital in HCM City installed more cameras and posted more guards at locations where disputes may occur. The hospital also worked with local police and trained staff on how to deal with unexpected situations.
Nguyen Truong Son, head of Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City, said several key departments had to receive huge numbers of patients each day and many of the patients became frustrated by the amount of queuing. The emergency department also often has drunken patients. The hospital's security department has 80 employees and keeps a close contact with local police.
"We also open martial arts courses to help doctors protect themselves," Son said.
He went on to say that they need more regulations to highlight that violence was unacceptable in hospitals.
Hung Vuong Hospital in Phu Tho Province also hires martial artists. For three days a week, doctors, nurses, security guards and drivers will go to the class to learn from the experts.
Hung Vuong Hospital's Chairman Pham Van Hoc said doctors had to face many hazards besides the huge pressures in this line of work. They may be exposed to dangerous infectious diseases and toxic substances. Now they also have to face violence from patient's families, he said.
"Doctors must learn how to protect themselves and martial arts is one effective solution," Hoc said. "Martial arts will help one become more humble, disciplined and responsible. The doctors may even have better health."
The doctors at Hung Vuong Hospital agreed that they had avoided and effectively dealt with many disputes after taking up martial arts.
Doctor Vu Hong Chien is attacked by the father of a seven-year-old patient at Saint Paul's Hospital in Hanoi on April 13. Photo cut from security camera at the hospital
Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that up to 25 assaults against health workers were recorded last year. The attacks occurred when doctors refused to conduct a fluid infusion for a drunken patient, prevented a fight between patients or when their diagnosis was suspected to be wrong.
On February 20, 2018, two obstetricians in Yen Bai Province were physically abused by a husband and 10 others after the medical workers, who were delivering his baby, asked him not to climb on the window railing to film the birth.
The latest case of a doctor being assaulted took place on April 13 at Saint Paul's Hospital in Hanoi when Doctor Vu Hong Chien was punched repeatedly in the face by the father of a seven-year-old patient. Doctor Chien said that the father got angry and attacked him while hearing about the cost for the treatment of his son.
These was among many reasons for patients and their family members to attack medical workers, 70 per cent of whom were doctors and 15 per cent nurses, according to the Ministry of Health.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien on April 17 asked the police to intensify their presence at hospitals by setting up police posts to ensure the safety of health workers following a rise in the number of hospital assaults.
Dtinews/VOV