LOTUS, a health care centre set up under Vietnam-Poland cooperative efforts, is assisting Vietnamese people in the European country in handling testing procedures for COVID-19, free of charge.

A health worker tests samples to diagnose COVID-19 at a lab
in Warsaw, Poland, on May 14 (Photo: PAP/VNA) 

The centre began the assistance on May 25, as Vietnamese expatriates in Poland have significant demand for coronavirus testing.

Those with ambiguous symptoms must pay for the tests,while many others, especially manual labourers, have encountered difficulties in accessing testing services due to limited language skills and the lack of a bank account.

LOTUS will provide free support for Vietnamese people to complete procedures for registering for tests at the Diagnostycka laboratory, including registering online, completing paperwork, paying fees online, and preparing for testing.

Tests for COVID-19 at medical centres in Warsaw currently cost  EUR120 each. Results are available in 48 hours or 72 hours on the weekend.

Established in October 2009 as a joint stock company, LOTUS is the first concern of its kind set up under the two countries’ cooperative efforts in Poland.

Poland has a large Vietnamese community of some 25,000 people.