Nearly 300 medical staff and students of the Hanoi-based Military Medical Academy have departed to HCM City to assist southern provinces.

They are divided into 60 mobile medical teams with a total number 113 doctors, 2 officials, and 180 fourth year medical students. In the coming week, there will be more than 100 other medical teams to go to Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces and cities.

From August 21 to 23, it is expected that 1,000 officers, military medical staff and equipment will be transported to the South by air.

Lieutenant General Do Quyet, director of the Military Medical Academy, emphasized the spirit of "fighting the epidemic like fighting the enemy" at the farewell ceremony on August 21.

On the same day, 310 officers and soldiers of the Central Highlands Mobile Police Regiment, Ministry of Public Security, went to Ho Chi Minh City with the spirit of "The whole country unites, joins together, and emulates to fight against and win the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The Ministry of Public Security’s mobile police force will coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City Police and the Criminal Police Agency on duty at 12 gateway checkpoints. Each checkpoint will have 30 police officers, divided into three shifts to guard 24/7.

On August 21, the Logistics Department of the Ministry of Public Security also held a ceremony to send 11 chefs and 20 service staff to Ho Chi Minh City. They will work at the kitchens of the field hospital in Phuoc Loc commune, Nha Be district, Phuong Nam guesthouse and Phuoc Loc civil service house.

Also on August 21, nearly 200 students and lecturers of Bach Mai Medical College left Hanoi to HCM City. They are the first of 1,500 people who volunteered to go to the South to help the fight against pandemic. The remaining people will leave Hanoi on August 22 and 23. Most of them helped Bac Giang and Bac Ninh in the third wave of pandemic.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that, since the 4th wave broke out, the Ministry of Health and the provinces and cities in the North and central regions have sent more than 13,000 health workers to the south.

At the same time, five directors of central hospitals, namely Cho Ray, Bach Mai, Viet Duc, Hue Central and HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, have been assigned to be the directors of the 1,000 bed Covid-19 resuscitation hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and four 500 bed Covid-19 intensive care centers of the Ministry of Health in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital has sent many delegations to HCM City, most recently on August 18 with 200 medical staff, raising the total to about 500 people.

On August 21, 250 officers and soldiers of the Central Region Mobile Police Regiment based in the central province of Quang Nam went to the southern province of Binh Duong, one of the two largest epidemic centers in Vietnam.

This force will coordinate with the Binh Duong Provincial Police Agency to guard gateway checkpoints of districts and towns, and patrol to ensure security and order.

Previously, from May 15 to June 25, the Central Coast Mobile Police Regiment sent 120 officers and soldiers and 50 more soldiers on August 2 to Thua Thien - Hue Province to ensure security and order and prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic.

Ho Chi Minh City has asked for Military Region 7 to send 2,060 military medical staff, including 400 doctors, 1,600 other medical staff, 30 ambulance drivers and 30 medical staff in ambulance to help the city. At the same time, the city proposed that major agencies of the Military Region 7 send 4,000 officers and soldiers and 30 ambulances to participate in the fight against the epidemic.

According to the HCM City High Command, since the epidemic broke out in HCM City, more than 30,000 officers, soldiers, militiamen and self-defense staff have participated in supporting the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic in the city.

Nearly 300 medical staff and students of the Hanoi-based Military Medical Academy have departed to HCM City to assist southern provinces.

Officers and soldiers of the Central Highlands Mobile Police Regiment

Thousands of soldiers, health workers go to South to fight epidemic

Officers and soldiers of the Central Highlands Mobile Police Regiment.

Military forces participate in epidemic prevention and control in Ho Chi Minh City.

A bus carrying medical workers from Hanoi to HCM City on August 21. Photo: Hoang Anh

Thu Anh

40 provinces and cities to send medical staff to HCM City and southern provinces

The government has asked 40 provinces and cities to urgently mobilize health workers to send to Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.