Medtronic Indochina, a subsidiary of Medtronic plc which is among the world’s largest medical technology, services, and solutions companies, on August 25 announced that it has committed further support to healthcare professionals in Vietnam in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the funding from the company as well as voluntary contributions from its employees, Medtronic has donated almost 4,000 sets of healthcare personal protection equipment (PPE) to Cho Ray Hospital and Thong Nhat Hospital in HCMC to protect frontline healthcare professionals, who are working tirelessly to offer care and treatment to coronavirus patients.
Medtronic’s efforts go beyond the PPE donation. In July, the medtech company donated 5,000 rapid test kits to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of HCMC for Covid testing and tracing. To assist frontline hospitals in the treatment of Covid patients, the firm also sent 10 oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurement devices to Trung Vuong Hospital and the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases through the American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam.
Besides this, acknowledging that it is essential to provide training and education on the correct use of ventilators to frontline doctors managing ventilated Covid patients, Medtronic has been supporting this effort by organizing virtual webinar series led by ICU experts on mechanical ventilators that are critical in the fight against the coronavirus. The series has attracted almost 10,000 frontline doctors nationwide to participate, learn and share experiences and best practices.
In addition, the company has hosted dozens of virtual physician forums and medical education programs to help physicians of various specialties navigate the challenges of Covid. Further, Medtronic’s Ventilator Academy (www.ventilators.com) provides on-demand training on the fundamentals of mechanical ventilation. Since the launch of this platform a year ago over, 20,000 clinicians globally have benefited from this online curriculum.
Medtronic products to treat patients with severe respiratory illness include ventilators, respiratory filters, and pulse oximeters and sensors. In an open-license initiative, Medtronic released its Puritan Bennett™ 560 (PB560) ventilator design specifications publicly, providing manufacturers around the world the ability to rapidly accelerate ventilator production to combat Covid. The design specifications for the PB560 ventilator have been downloaded over 225,000 times.
“As a global healthcare leader, Medtronic is committed to supporting hospitals, healthcare workers, and patients in Vietnam and around the world in this fight against Covid-19. We live by our mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. This guides us in our daily work and we are determined to do everything we can to care for our employees, their families, and the communities in Vietnam as we address this global health crisis together,” said Paul Verhulst, managing director of Medtronic Indochina.
