Hanoi (VNA) - All hospitals at both central and local levels in Hanoihave carefully prepared for emergencies during Tet (Lunar NewYear).

Civil servants will have seven days off for Tet, between February 14 and 20.

Medical staff at the hospitals will work shifts so thathospitals have staff on duty 24 hours daily. Medicine and medical equipment arealso ready to serve patients during the Tet holiday,the Kinhte do thi (Urban economy) newspaperreported.

A representative of the Việt Nam – Germany Hospital, ahospital that often treats seriously injured patients, especially trafficaccident victims, said the hospital was fully prepared.

All head and deputy head of the hospital’s departments weretold to stay in Hanoi during the holiday so that they could serve inemergencies, he said.

The emergency department’s staff also had to take shifts tobe on duty 24 hours daily as normal, he said.

The hospital also prepared Tet gifts for patients treated during the holiday.

In Bach Mai Hospital, Duong Duc Hung, head of the hospital’sPlanning Office said a total of 350 doctors and nurses would be on duty duringthe holidays to ensure all patients were promptly treated.

The hospital has planned to provide free meals and gifts forpatients staying at the hospital during Tet, he added.

Careful preparation also has been made at the NationalHospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology as well as Hanoi Hospital of Obstetricsand Gynaecology. The boards of the two hospitals would also be on dutyduring Tet.

Other hospitals, including Thanh Nhan, Dong Da, Ha Dong andSaint Paul, have stored enough medicine and asked doctors and nurses to takeshifts during the holiday.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the ministry would make randomchecks at several hospitals during Tet.

Tien said the ministry ordered all hospitals to assign doctors and nurses totake shifts to ensure patients were served 24 hours a day during the holiday.

All the hospitals were required to publish two hotlines, the hospital’s hotlineand the ministry’s hotline, to receive people’s comments, she added.

If people found any doctor, nurse or medical staff not working on their shiftor causing trouble for patients, people could contact the ministry’s hot line1900.9095. “The ministry will immediately fix it,” she said.

The ministry also asked all hospitals to make plans to deal with emergencies,such as massive poisonings and traffic accidents.-VNA