According to readers’ reports, many hospitals and medical centers in the Central region are still facing shortages of medicine and medical supplies, causing patients to suffer due to long waiting times. Meanwhile, family relatives of patients have to run around searching for medications and medical supplies, some of which are covered by insurance agencies.
On the evening of August 19, a man urgently transferred a family member from Thang Binh Hospital to Quang Nam General Hospital due to a critical condition. After the initial emergency treatment, doctors requested that the family go outside to purchase medication related to heart attacks. At that time, it was nearly 1 a.m. on August 20. As a result, he had to rush around Tam Ky City searching for the specific medication the doctors had requested, but all the pharmacies were closed. He knocked on the doors of multiple pharmacies in a desperate attempt to find the necessary medicine and save his relative.
He remembered that after visiting dozens of pharmacies, one place was open, but unfortunately, they didn’t have the required medication. When he returned to the hospital, my family member had been moved to the Intensive Care Unit.
Later, sharing this information on social media, prompted many people to express frustration about the lack of emergency medication at Quang Nam Provincial General Hospital, forcing patients’ families to seek medicine elsewhere, especially for patients suffering from heart illnesses. Some comments also expressed sympathy for the families dealing with shortages of medication and medical supplies in hospitals.
At Da Nang Hospital, on the afternoon of August 20, patients were seen holding prescriptions from the hospital and going to external pharmacies to purchase medicine. A 58 year old resident of Dai Dong Commune in Quang Nam Province’s Dai Loc District shared that he was diagnosed with a colon-related illness and was admitted to Da Nang Hospital. The hospital’s prescription included two sections, one of which was for intravenous catheters. However, the doctor advised him to buy the catheters externally because the medication was not available in the hospital at that time.
The same situation was observed in several hospitals in Quy Nhon City of Binh Dinh Province where reported a shortage of medication in hospital pharmacies; hence, patients had to go here and there to buy various types of medicine as per doctors' prescriptions.
During a nearly one-hour observation at the pharmacy of Binh Dinh Provincial General Hospital, out of every 10 patients purchasing medication, four had to go elsewhere to buy it because the hospital did not have the required drugs. In Phu Yen province, shortages of medicine and medical supplies have been ongoing since 2023, causing significant difficulties for both the healthcare sector and residents. However, the current situation has improved, and just a few medical facilities and hospitals report a shortage of medicines.
Deputy Director of Quang Nam Provincial General Hospital Nguyen Ngoc Van Khoa confirmed that there are still some types of medication that have been procured through bidding but are either unavailable or depleted, necessitating the use of external drugs. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Van Khoa explained that not all medications participate in the bidding process, and some batches of drugs lack participating contractors or exceed the planned prices. Consequently, the hospital is actively organizing new bidding rounds to ensure an adequate supply of medicine for patient care.
Meanwhile, Director Mai Van Muoi of the Quang Nam Provincial Department of Health stated that local procurement packages for medicines, chemicals, and medical supplies have already received approval for contractor selection. The Department of Health has also issued directives to expedite contract signing and procurement based on the chosen contractors’ results. Therefore, it can be affirmed that the current situation in Quang Nam province has largely addressed the issue of medication, chemicals, and medical supply shortages
Regarding this issue, Director of Da Nang Hospital Le Duc Nhan revealed that the unit has just announced the winning bid for two drug packages. As for medical supplies and equipment, the supply is almost complete. For example, intravenous catheters will be available on August 21, with only a few minor items still in the tender process, which may take about half a month to yield results.
According to Dr. Tran Thanh Thuy, Director of the Da Nang Department of Health, the shortage of drugs and medical supplies is only a temporary disruption. She explained that the process of selecting suppliers for drug procurement at healthcare facilities is expected to take at least 2-3 months, leading to intermittent supply of certain medications, including health insurance-covered drugs.
