The new Can Tho Oncology Hospital under construction is abandoned, while the old hospital is seriously overloaded.

The Can Tho Oncology Hospital project has been suspended since 2022. Since then, the hospital building has been left exposed to the elements, overgrown with weeds.

The construction site of the Can Tho Oncology Hospital has been abandoned since 2022 - Photo: T. LŨY

According to information from the Can Tho City Department of Health on November 24th, the construction project for the Can Tho Oncology Hospital (with a capacity of 500 beds) is currently undergoing investment adjustment procedures. The adjusted project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

According to Tuoi Tre Online reporters, in Can Tho City, there are two hospital projects that are behind schedule and have been stalled for many years, exposed to the elements. These projects are considered a potential source of waste and have caused public outrage.

That's the Can Tho Oncology Hospital project, with an investment of over 1,700 billion VND, planned to be the most modern hospital in the Mekong Delta region, but it has been stalled since 2022.

The remaining project, the Can Tho Central Orthopedic and Trauma Hospital (under the Ministry of Health ), commenced construction in December 2020 and has only completed the main building to date; auxiliary facilities are still under construction and not yet in use.

The Can Tho Oncology Hospital project has an initial total investment of over 1,700 billion VND (funded by an ODA agreement with the Hungarian Government and domestic counterpart funds), with a capacity of 500 beds.

Construction began in October 2017 and is expected to be completed after 3 years (by the end of 2020). The project is anticipated to become the largest and most modern cancer hospital in the Mekong Delta region.

However, in 2022, the Can Tho Oncology Hospital project was temporarily halted after reaching 82% of the construction volume and over 16% of the equipment supply and installation. Since then, the hospital building has been left exposed to the elements, overgrown with weeds.

Inside the construction site of Can Tho Oncology Hospital - Photo: T. LUY

According to the Can Tho City Department of Health - the project's investor - the reason for the temporary suspension of construction is partly due to the expiration of the construction contract and the loan agreement (in 2022).

During the construction process, the consortium of contractors (from Hungary) repeatedly proposed adjustments to specialized medical equipment, construction materials, and other equipment specified in the contract, failing to ensure the 50% Hungarian origin requirement. This necessitated contract and loan agreement adjustments, significantly impacting the project's progress.

In addition, part of the reason is that the investor's representatives lack experience in implementing ODA-funded projects, leading to prolonged delays in procedures…

Since then, numerous meetings have been held to resolve difficulties and obstacles, and during a meeting with voters in July 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also directed the leaders of Can Tho City to discuss and seek opinions from central ministries and agencies to carry out the procedures for converting and restarting the project using domestic capital, with the spirit of "no matter how difficult, we must do it".

Inside the abandoned Can Tho Oncology Hospital construction site - Photo: T. LUY

Notably, while the newly constructed Can Tho Oncology Hospital project remains unfinished, exposed to the elements and causing waste, the old Can Tho Oncology Hospital continues to operate in a state of dilapidated facilities and severe overcrowding.

For many years, the old Oncology Hospital operated in a dilapidated, makeshift building, while still having to receive a large number of patients from Can Tho City and neighboring provinces.

Currently, the hospital receives over 500 outpatients daily, with approximately 500 inpatient beds available. Due to overcrowding, patients have to share beds, with 2-3 people per bed.

According to Mr. Hoang Quoc Cuong, Director of the Can Tho Department of Health, the City People's Committee has sent a document to the Government and relevant ministries and agencies to resolve issues regarding equipment standards and adjust the policy in order to restart the project.

The solution agreed upon by the Government and ministries is to use domestic capital to continue implementation instead of ODA funds (which have expired); and to negotiate with the EPC general contractor on outstanding issues.

"After agreeing to use domestic capital, the capital structure is expected to be adjusted to include over 272 billion VND in disbursed ODA loans, over 1,123 billion VND in central government budget funds, and over 332 billion VND in counterpart funds from Can Tho City."

Regarding the project restart procedure, the Department of Health is currently reviewing and finalizing the revised pre-feasibility study report for comments from relevant departments and agencies before submitting it to the competent authority for approval. After receiving the resolution from the People's Council, the Department of Health will finalize the dossier and submit it to the People's Committee of Can Tho City to send to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for appraisal of the adjusted investment policy," Mr. Cuong added.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/benh-vien-ung-buou-can-tho-moi-dang-xay-bi-bo-hoang-con-benh-vien-cu-lai-qua-tai-tram-trong-20241124102700862.htm