Preparing to go on the operating table and then having to wait because… we ran out of supplies
March 28 is 5 months and 10 days since Ms. TTNQ (23 years old, in Thai Binh) had to wait for a doctor at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital (Hanoi) to perform surgery on a spinal fracture due to injury after an accident. .
Share with VietNamNet, Ms. Q. said that on October 12, 2023, this woman went to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital for examination. Five days later, she was admitted to the Spine Surgery Department, preparing for surgery for a spinal fracture requiring a brace to take place on October 18.
 |
“On October 18, I wore surgical clothes and had fasted since the day before. The doctor marked the damaged area to be operated on. When the doctor was preparing to disinfect the surgical field, I suddenly received a notice: there was a shortage of medical supplies and the surgery had to be postponed,” Ms. Q. shared with VietNamNet.
Too surprised by this announcement, she asked when the materials were expected to be available and received the answer “maybe in early 2024”, meaning she would have to wait at least 2.5 months. Although she was impatient because she had just graduated from university, had a new job, and wanted to have surgery immediately to continue her work, Ms. Q. had to receive her pre-operative deposit back and began the process of waiting.
The patient’s waiting took place from October 18, 2023 until now, i.e. more than 5 months. After “five or seven times” of contact, she was still informed that there was no connecting rod – the necessary material to have. carrying out the surgery, according to Ms. Q.
During more than 5 months of waiting for surgery, Ms. Q. suffered many difficulties due to her damaged spine. “When I stand, I have to hold on to the wall, the table, or something else to hold on in order to straighten my body, otherwise my body will feel crooked. Walking is only temporary, but every day, I still have to wear the belt.” around the back for 12 hours, except when sleeping and bathing,” she shared. The female accountant is also worried that wearing the belt continuously for nearly half a year will affect many body parts.
“I just want to have surgery as soon as possible to stabilize my health. Because I wear a tight belt to stabilize my spine, I have to wear loose clothes to hide my body defects,” she said.
Every time they hear the news that “there will be a bid” for medical supplies, patients eagerly wait for the doctor’s message to schedule an appointment for surgery. But she also understands that from the time the bid is received until the purchase is completed, it takes months. Many people advised her to transfer to another hospital for surgery to end the discomfort and anxiety, but trusting the doctor’s qualifications and enthusiasm, she planned to endure and wait more…
“I went to another hospital to ask about the condition and treatment, but Viet Duc is still the place that can limit the risks of surgery for me,” Ms. Q. explained, adding that she was still waiting to have surgery there. this institute.
Had to be transferred to hospital, additional expenses hoping to end the pain
On the forum to share experiences of examination and treatment at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, many people complain about having to postpone surgery or wait for surgery due to torn meniscus, torn ligaments, torn tendons that require fusion… due to this hospital. lack of supplies and surgical instruments.
In early March, Mr. HT in Cao Bang took his wife with damaged meniscus to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital for examination. After carrying out the instructions and magnetic resonance imaging, his wife was scheduled for surgery. However, the doctor made an appointment with the family for 1 month before performing the surgery because the hospital ran out of supplies. Not to let his wife suffer, while waiting for who knew how long, he had to take her to another hospital for the required surgery. All clinical X-rays must be done again from the beginning.
Another case that cannot wait is Mrs. TTS, 90 years old, in Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi. Mr. S. suffered a collapsed vertebrae due to a fall in January. The daily life accident caused him a lot of pain, he could not move, just turning over was painful. The family took him to a hospital in Hanoi for treatment, and they were told to inject bio-cement.
However, as an elderly patient with heart failure, surgery for Mr. S. posed many high risks. The family contacted to transfer the patient to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, where the doctor has top qualifications in this disease.
However, when contacted for advice on a special case, the doctor at the largest surgical hospital in the North informed: We ran out of biological cement materials to perform the surgery.
Unable to let the elderly woman suffer, the family had to transfer Mrs. S. to Bach Mai Hospital. After 1 month of treatment for heart failure with many consultations, the old lady had successful surgery. The total cost for the treatment and surgery was more than 40 million, and health insurance paid almost all of it. The cost for non-shiny bio-cement materials alone is about 25 million VND.
“I think the lack of this material at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital is due to insufficient supply and demand. Too many patients from hospitals and localities flock here. The doctors here are very enthusiastic, giving my family full advice and contact support, but ‘it’s no good’, they are like soldiers going to war with nothing to fight the enemy, they don’t know what else to do to help the patient. “, Mr. S.’s family shared with him VietNamNet.