The Hanoi Department of Health (DOH) announced a project to establish mobile emergency teams to rescue people in flood-hit areas.
According to the project, each emergency team will include two doctors, two nurses, a driver and an ambulance vehicle. Mobile teams will be equipped with medication and medical equipment to respond to a crisis.
According to DOH, central hospitals will maintain two teams while district hospitals and specialized medical clinics will have one team each. Hospitals will provide the necessary first aid training to the rescue teams.
DOH also proposed various ways to respond to the next flood season. It planned to stockpile drugs and chemicals as well as raise awareness amongst people of the need to use clean water for daily chores and curb the spread of infectious diseases during the flood season.
District medical infirmaries will stockpile essential equipment, medicines and foodstuffs for flood hit victims for at least 15 days.
The 2008 floods in Vietnam severely affected large areas of Hanoi after just three days of heavy rainfall. The rain began on October 30 for three long days and caused the worst floods in Hanoi since 1984.
