Bach Mai Hospital is a multi-field medical facility in
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
and is considered one of the largest in
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. The hospital was established in 1911 during the
French colonial rule. It has played an important role in the health system of Vietnam and is one of three high specialized
medical
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
centers, specializing in
internal medicine
Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...
. It is a big center of cadres training and scientific research in the country. The hospital has 3,500 beds and 4,300 staff.
During Nixon's Christmas bombing,
Operation Linebacker II, on December 22, 1972, American bombs struck the hospital, obliterating the building and killing 28 hospital staff members and an unconfirmed number of patients.
A special rehabilitation unit was opened in 1998 for treating adults and children with disabling conditions (
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
and
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
). The unit sponsored by
Veterans for America has seen more than 1,700 patients and has fitted more than 2,100 plastic braces since its establishment.
In 2000, Bach Mai Hospital was partly reconstructed and supplied with up-to-date facilities and equipment under a
grant aid project of the Government of Japan.
When
SARS broke out in Vietnam in 2003, Bach Mai Hospital substantially contributed to putting it under control by providing strict
nosocomial infection control, which was implemented by Japanese experts.
There is a small
speech therapy unit at the hospital, headed by Dr. Vu Thi Bich Hanh.
In May 2008, a spinal unit with 25 patient beds was established with the help of
Handicap International.
Vietnam War bombing
During Nixon's Christmas bombing,
Operation Linebacker II, on 22 December 1972, over 100 American bombs struck the hospital, obliterating the building and killing 28 hospital staff members and a large number of patients, despite most taking refuge in the hospital's basement.
Almost the entire hospital was destroyed, including the operating rooms. The U.S. military falsely claimed that the hospital "frequently housed anti-aircraft positions."
According to the director of the hospital, Đỗ Doãn Đại, the U.S. bombing served to break the morale of hospital staff and Hanoians and was a gross violation of international law and a reprehensible war crime against the civilian population of Hanoi.
The hospital was subsequently rebuilt, largely with private donations from the United States.
A
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
memorial to the victims can be seen in the courtyard today.
COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital served as an intensive care center for treating COVID-19 patients.
See also
*
List of hospitals in Vietnam
References
External links
Official page of Bach Mai Hospital
Hospitals in Hanoi
Hospitals established in 1911
French colonial architecture in Vietnam
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