On November 5, 2024, the Vietnam Children’s Fund, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting vulnerable children, successfully delivered three CPAP machines to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Donation of Medical Equipment to Pediatric Patients is part of a larger initiative to improve neonatal care for premature infants and reduce the overwhelming pressure on the hospital’s emergency and intensive care units.
Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital plays a crucial role in providing healthcare services to newborns, premature babies, and critically ill children in the North Central region of Vietnam. According to data from the hospital in 2023, more than 460 infants are treated each month in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) specifically designated for neonatal care. The hospital’s bed occupancy rate is consistently over 100%, and during peak seasons, the number of children admitted surpasses the hospital’s capacity, leading to immense pressure on the facility. In this context, the shortage of essential medical equipment, such as CPAP machines, has posed significant challenges in delivering optimal care to these vulnerable patients.
A poignant example of this pressure is the case of Ms. Ngoc Ha (a pseudonym), a mother from Ha Tinh province, who gave birth to triplets at 31 weeks of gestation. All three infants were premature and in urgent need of mechanical ventilation. However, due to a shortage of CPAP machines, only two of the babies could be treated at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, while the third baby had to be transferred to Nghe An General Hospital to alleviate the pressure on the hospital and give the child a better chance at recovery.
In response to this pressing need, the Vietnam Children’s Fund launched a fundraising campaign in August 2024 via the MoMo Super App, successfully raising 200,000,000 VND to purchase and donate three CPAP machines to the hospital. These machines play an essential role in stabilizing the breathing of newborns, particularly those born prematurely, by ensuring they receive continuous positive airway pressure. This donation significantly enhances the hospital’s capacity to provide critical care and alleviates the strain on its resources.
The contributions from the MoMo Piggy Bank Community were instrumental in making this project a reality. Thanks to their generous donations, thousands of newborns in Nghe An now have access to better care, and many of them are given a greater chance to grow up healthy and strong.
