HCMC to set up emergency aid stations, train paramedics

An ambulance car is stuck in traffic in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: An Bang

Ho Chi Minh City plans to set up emergency aid stations in many places to provide first aid more effectively given its heavy traffic.

The health department has proposed cooperation with an Australian university to train paramedics to man the 25 planned stations, or an average of one per district.

Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of the health department, said setting up such centres is appropriate for a crowded city prone to traffic jams.

The emergency stations, which can use spare ambulances at district hospitals, would make sure patients get first aid promptly before they can reach a hospital, he said.

The city of 12 million, including migrants, has more than 200 ambulances, but they do not always reach patients in time due to the heavy traffic.

Le Truong Giang, chairman of the HCMC Public Health Association, said if the ambulances can be stationed at the proposed centres, the system can serve 30 times more patients than now.

Also, each emergency care station will be staffed and equipped to provide first aid for people of all ages and various conditions from injuries to strokes, something no hospital in the city can currently do.

The estimated cost of the project has not been disclosed.