01:04, 14/04/2020

Safeguarding social benefit recipients against exposure to COVID-19 infection

During the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19, social service establishments in Khanh Hoa Province have taken various measures to protect the health of social benefit recipients...

During the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19, social service establishments in Khanh Hoa Province have taken various measures to protect the health of social benefit recipients, especially revolutionaries, old people and children.


Dedicated care 


Khanh Hoa Social Service Center is caring for 273 vulnerable people, most with major illnesses. During the outbreak of COVID-19, the center has advised older people to take extra precautions with better care of themselves by eating enough healthy food and doing exercise to boost their immune system and overall health. Visitations to the elderly have been cancelled to prevent them from exposure to the coronavirus.

 

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Health and body temperatures checks at Khanh Hoa Social Service Center.


90-year-old Nguyen Thi Tam says, “I have been here for more than 5 years. I have received good care. Particularly, in recent months, I have been given regular health checks, hand sanitizers to wash hands before meals, offered face masks and instructions how to protect ourselves from catching the virus.”

The Nursing Home under Khanh Hoa Nursing Center for Vietnamese revolutionaries is taking care of 8 Vietnamese revolutionaries aged 73 – 93, most with cardiovascular and systemic blood pressure diseases. The center maintains 24-24 standby to take body temperature, disinfect the area surface and enhance physical therapy with herbal foot soak once a week. Visits of family members and relatives have been suspended in an effort to keep the elderly from exposing to infection. Especially, the center has improved daily meal nutrition and activities.


92-year-old Ta Van Sinh says, “From the COVID-19 pandemic, the center has boosted care and management to keep us safe and healthy. We feel secured and follow all the disease control and prevention regulations.”


Khanh Hoa Drug Treatment Center, which is currently giving addiction treatment to more than 500 with mental disorder and other drug-associated health problems, has also focused more on caring and management to assure a healthy and safe environment. The center regularly disinfects living rooms, dining areas and lounges; checks body temperatures and overall health; and assures balanced nutritious meals. The center has temporarily suspended receiving new patients as well as limited visits of relatives and family members to curtail the spread of the virus from outside. Meanwhile, round-the-clock watch is kept in the center against the outbreak.


Disease control and prevention measures taken


Khanh Hoa Social Service Center disinfects the entire center and makes sure hand sanitizers available for use everyday. Health declaration specifying health status and travel history is required together with regular body temperature checks. Particularly, the center ensures safe food supply and maintains a safe distance between dining tables and beds.


Over the past years, the center has managed and given care for 26 homeless beggars. Most of them are currently kept in quarantine with regular health and travel history checks. Sufficient face masks and hand sanitizers are made available for use. Most of them are from outside Khanh Hoa Province. After 14-day quarantine, they will be sent to their families or localities. Each person at the center is funded VND900,000/person/month. More funding for meals and equipment from the province is required to cope with the current high expenses and drop in sponsorship from businesses affected by the disease outbreak, according to Chu Van Cong, Director of Khanh Hoa Social Service Center.


According to Khanh Hoa Department of Labor, War Invalids & Social Affairs, there are 8 public social service establishments and 10 private ones, providing care for more than 1,100 people. Khanh Hoa Department of Labor, War Invalids & Social Affairs has directed disease control and prevention tasks to keep vulnerable people healthy in the face of coronavirus as well as conducted inspection visits to social service establishments to check their response preparedness. In the coming time, social service establishments in Khanh Hoa need to continue implementing a range of measures to join effort to fight against the infectious disease.



Van Giang
Translated by N.T