According to Dr. Pham Thanh Ha, deputy director of the Hanoi Central Odonto-Stomatology Hospital, the hospital would run out of anesthetic in around two weeks. If the problem is not settled, the hospital would be temporarily closed as up to two-thirds of its outpatient services rely on anesthetic for treatment.
A surgery at the Hanoi Central Odonto-Stomatology Hospital
Doctors already are using anesthetic alternatives. However, in many cases, this has failed to meet patient needs. For instance, people with heart and high blood pressure need anesthetics that do not contain vasopressin substances, Ha added.
He noted anesthetic circulation licenses of pharmaceutical firms have not yet been extended, which is blamed for the slow supply to both private and state-owned hospitals.
Vietnam is importing anesthetics from two to three producers but global anesthetic supply sources are limited. It could take three to four months to import anesthetics into Vietnam.
The hospital has reported the problem to the Ministry of Health for solutions, but it has not yet received ministry feedback.
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