Doctors say the 43-year-old British patient needs more time to make a full recovery

The ambassador thanked Vietnamese doctors for saving the British patient during the past few months and proposed the doctors examine if the patient could travel to his hometown by air.

The ambassador expressed hope the British pilot who is recovering well here in Vietnam will be in good form for the repatriation flight scheduled to depart from Hanoi on July 12.

A Vietnam Airlines aircraft is set to fly to the UK that day to bring home stranded Vietnamese citizens due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With regard to hospital fees, the British embassy said the insurance company that provides services for the British patient, will cover all the cost so that the patient could leave Vietnam with assistance from Vietnamese health specialists. The insurance company has also agreed to arrange doctors to receive the patient when he lands in the UK.

Before the patient leaves for home, leading Vietnamese specialists are to hold another national consultation to see if he is healthy enough for a hospital discharge and for a long flight to the UK.

The patient is poised to return to his hometown in Scotland, the UK. The insurance company recently paid VND3.5 billion for the patient’s treatment cost at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases where he had received treatment from March 18 to May 22.

The patient, who has tested negative for the coronavirus, is receiving treatment at HCM City-based Cho Ray hospital. He is recovering well, but doctors said he needs more time to make a full recovery.

UK ambassador thanks Vietnam for saving British pilot

British Consul General Ian Gibbons joins the ambassador during the visit

British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward thanked Vietnamese doctors for saving the British pilot who was infected with COVID-19, during a visit to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases on June 26.

Meeting with the hospital’s management, the ambassador said he completely believes in the qualification and ethics of the doctors at the hospital which is described as one of the leading hospitals in combating COVID-19 in Vietnam. 

The ambassador visited several departments at the hospital, especially the testing department which has performed more than 15,000 RT-PCR tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Vietnam.

He also visited the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) which has been collaborating with the hospital in carrying out research projects on infectious diseases since 1991.

In the context of the complex nature of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, the British Ambassador said the British Embassy will work closely with the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City to provide better health care for both British and Vietnamese citizens.

The British pilot, a 43-year-old man, had stayed at the HCM City-based Hospital of Tropical Diseases for COVID-19 treatment for 65 days. He had to battle for life as his lungs were seriously damaged due to infection complications. He was put on ECMO, a life support machine, to save his life.

He has gradually recovered since he was transferred to Cho Ray hospital, also in Ho Chi Minh City. He now can breathe unaided, walk, communicate well with others, and have been practicing physical therapy before being discharged from hospital. VOV