Ministry of Health proposes hospital arrangement and merger: Southern units speak up

(Dan Tri) - Hospitals in the Southern region have spoken out against the Ministry of Health's plan to rearrange and reorganize its affiliated units, in which some places are proposed to be merged.

Recently, the Ministry of Health issued a document proposing a plan to rearrange and reorganize affiliated public service units.

According to the document, the Ministry of Health proposed that 25/39 hospitals continue to be affiliated. Two hospitals are being considered for merger into units located in the same area, the rest will be transferred to the locality or become facilities of other hospitals.

In which, Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedic - Rehabilitation Hospital (1A) is proposed to be merged into Thong Nhat Hospital, and Can Tho Orthopedic - Rehabilitation Hospital is merged into Can Tho General Hospital.

Hospital 1A hopes to be thoroughly considered

Regarding the above content, speaking with Dan Tri reporter on October 22, a representative of Hospital 1A said that the hospital was only taken over by the Ministry of Health in March, but has been established and developed for more than 40 years.

Currently, this place is the leading orthopedic and rehabilitation facility in the South, with many specialized techniques deployed. Every year, the number of patients coming for rehabilitation treatment here reaches an average of 5,000 people, with more than 150,000 interventions.

Hospital 1A (Photo: Hoang Le).

Hospital 1A has the political mission of taking care of special and specialized subjects such as war invalids, sick soldiers, people with disabilities, subjects with occupational diseases... Since its establishment, the Hospital has always implemented well and paid attention to health care activities for vulnerable subjects in society.

This is a rare medical facility in the Southern region that has a workshop producing prosthetic limbs, orthopedic braces and assistive devices for the disabled.

Over the years, Hospital 1A has become financially independent. With the efforts and solidarity of all staff, this place has taken good care of the health of people in the Southern region, increasing the income of its staff.

Since 2018, the unit has been recognized as a practice facility in health sector training, with 4 announcement boards on practical training publicly posted on the Ministry of Health's electronic information portal.

The hospital has signed a cooperation agreement on practical training with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City and other health training institutions in the area. In the most recent year, nearly 4,000 students received practical training at the university and post-graduate levels.

With the "hospital - school" model, Hospital 1A has appointed lecturers and department leaders from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, to hold key positions at the hospital, such as Deputy Head of the Rehabilitation Department and Head of the Traditional Medicine Department.

In addition, the unit also signed working contracts with many lecturers of the school, to facilitate practical training as well as professional development.

In particular, 1A is one of the units implementing the Rehabilitation System Development Program for the period 2023-2030, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 569/QD-TTg dated May 24, 2023.

Medical staff working at Hospital 1A (Photo: Hoang Le).

Based on the above, the collective of Hospital 1A proposes to continue being an independent unit that ensures all regular expenditures under the Ministry of Health, in the period of 2026-2027. In the following period, Hospital 1A proposes to become a practice hospital under the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City.

“Thong Nhat Hospital is a specialized treatment unit for senior officials, oriented towards development in the field of geriatrics, which is not compatible with the treatment and rehabilitation model for disabled children and people with mobility disabilities of Hospital 1A.

We hope the Ministry of Health will consider carefully and maintain a humane medical model for the community, where no one is left behind," said Hospital 1A.

Proposal to transfer the status quo to the locality

The leader of Can Tho Orthopedic - Rehabilitation Hospital shared that the unit is ranked at the basic level in the field of trauma, orthopedics and rehabilitation.

Over the past time, the Hospital has played an important role in health care for provinces in the Mekong Delta region, serving special subjects such as war invalids, meritorious people, people infected with Agent Orange and social protection subjects, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc.

Can Tho Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital (Photo: TT).

The hospital has coordinated with departments and branches of many provinces, and with domestic and foreign organizations to organize many examinations, surgeries, and provide orthopedic devices for special subjects every year. This helps patients reduce the burden of costs, treat effectively, and reintegrate into the community soon.

To ensure uninterrupted medical examination and treatment functions, Can Tho Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital proposed to continue to be under the Ministry of Health for the period 2026-2027, and at the same time recommended that the competent authority consider allocating funds to invest in upgrading facilities, preventing degradation and purchasing modern medical equipment.

In the 2028-2030 period, the Hospital proposed a plan to transfer the status quo to local management and continue to perform assigned tasks as before.

Speaking with Dan Tri reporter, Associate Professor Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital - the unit proposed to receive Hospital 1A - said that the document of the Ministry of Health is only a draft, so it is not possible to make any comments yet.

However, this unit is prepared to carry out the tasks assigned by the management agency.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/bo-y-te-de-xuat-sap-xep-sap-nhap-benh-vien-cac-don-vi-phia-nam-len-tieng-20251022140638645.htm