VietNamNet Bridge – Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien on Wednesday met with leaders of Hoa Bình Province People’s Committee and health department regarding an incident that left seven kidney dialysis patients dead.

A medical staff checks on a kidney patient at the Artificial Kidney Department of Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Noi. — Photo: VNA/VNS

Prior to the meeting, she visited and offered condolences to families of three late patients in Hoa Binh City, as well as patient Nguyen Thi Bich Nguyen who is receiving treatment at Hoa Binh Province General Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit following the Monday incident.

Minister Tien asked the province’s health department to establish a panel of health sector experts to determine the cause of the kidney dialysis calamity, which killed seven patients who were receiving dialysis at the hospital on Monday.

“We have to deal with the situation step by step, be honest and be objective in finding the cause of the complication so as to bring [the hospital’s Artificial Kidney Department] back to operation,” she said.

The department stopped receiving patients immediately after the incident.

Director Tran Quang Khanh of the province’s health department said the panel had been established, consisting of leaders and doctors of Hoa Binh Province General Hospital, officials from the department’s medicine and pharmacy division and four health sector experts.

The Artificial Kidney Department is expected to resume operations in 10 days, he said.

He asked the health ministry to help look after some 100 kidney patients currently receiving periodical dialysis at the hospital while it investigates the incident.

Five hospitals in Ha Noi on Tuesday were requested by the city’s health department to prepare human resources and facilities to receive kidney patients from the Hoa Binh Province General Hospital.

It includes the Ha Noi Nephrology Hospital and four general hospitals of Hoe Nhai, Dong Da, Thanh Nhan and Ha Dong.

The Ha Noi Nephrology Hospital – the city’s leading specialist in nephrology and dialysis – was requested to directly receive the patients and pass them on to the other hospitals.

It is also responsible for reviewing and examining the process of kidney dialysis at hospitals in its network, as well as organising specialised training workshops for medical staff at these hospitals.

The capital city’s health department also requested hospitals that provide kidney dialysis services to review their technical process, clean and test all their equipment in accordance with instructions from the health ministry on kidney dialysis to avoid medical complications.

On Tuesday, Bach Mai Hospital received 10 more kidney patients from Hoa Binh Province General Hospital, the Ha Noi Nephrology Hospital 20, and the Agriculture General Hospital 27.

Hoa Binh City General Hospital also received 20 kidney patients from Hoa Binh Province General Hospital.

On Monday, seven out of 18 kidney patients receiving dialysis at Hoa Binh Province General Hospital died of suspected anaphylactic shock. Ten of the remaining patients were sent to Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Noi and are reportedly in stable condition.

VNS