Proposal to dissolve, merge and reorganize medical facilities, establish commune, ward and special zone health stations

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health proposed converting the model of 38 medical centers, establishing 168 medical stations under the People's Committees of wards and communes, and rearranging ineffective units to streamline the system and improve service quality for the people.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health proposed to merge and establish Tu Du Hospital, branch 2, in Can Gio in October 2025 on the basis of taking over inpatient treatment functions from the Can Gio Regional Medical Center.

Arrange, merge, reorganize medical facilities

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has just submitted a plan to rearrange public health service units to streamline the apparatus, avoid overlapping functions, improve management efficiency and quality of health services for the people.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, after the merger, the department has 9 specialized departments, 2 branches and 124 affiliated public health service units.

After implementing the second phase of restructuring the public service unit system, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health merged the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) into the Ho Chi Minh City CDC.

Merge 3 Medical Assessment Centers into Ho Chi Minh City Medical Assessment Center. Merge 3 Forensic Centers into Ho Chi Minh City Forensic Center.

At the same time, 38 district, county and city health centers were converted into 38 regional health centers (13 with beds, 25 without beds).

Of which, 4 medical centers Nhieu Loc, Cho Lon, Hoa Hung and Can Gio switched to a bed-free model, inpatient treatment functions were transferred to upper-level hospitals to effectively use resources and reduce overload.

443 commune, ward and special zone health stations were reorganized into 168 health stations and 296 affiliated health points.

From September 1, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has 118 public service units (6 units reduced) including 32 general hospitals, 28 specialized hospitals, 5 specialized centers - preventive medicine, 38 regional medical centers and 15 social protection centers.

Establish 168 medical stations in wards, communes and special zones under the People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones.

From January 1, 2026, 168 ward, commune and special zone health stations will be established and become public service units under the People's Committees at the same level, with legal status, their own seals and accounts. This model aims to increase initiative at the grassroots level and improve the quality of primary health care.

In addition, 25 regional medical centers without beds will transfer all personnel and assets to the medical station and then dissolve.

13 medical centers with beds continue to perform inpatient treatment duties and can be upgraded to hospitals or secondary facilities of appropriate hospitals.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health also proposed to innovate the financial mechanism to increase autonomy for grassroots health care. From there, health stations will gradually implement the financial autonomy mechanism, allowing the collection and use of revenue from health insurance examination and treatment, service examination and other professional activities.

This mechanism is to encourage health stations to improve service quality and attract people to primary care. When people do not seek primary care, it means that primary care has not fulfilled its role as a 'gatekeeper', and the situation of going beyond the prescribed level will be difficult to improve.

The regular budget will be allocated separately for each health station, ensuring sufficient resources to carry out the tasks of primary health care and disease prevention. At the same time, the City will also build and operate the Grassroots Health Development Support Fund to mobilize non-budgetary resources for investment.

The Ho Chi Minh City health sector currently has 27/60 public hospitals that have reached the specialized level and 7 hospitals have geriatric departments, exceeding the minimum requirements according to the target. At the same time, the Department of Health is developing a project to develop 5 nursing home models suitable for each group of elderly people, aiming to connect care between health - society - community.

Restructuring and dissolving ineffective public service units

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health proposed merging Saigon General Hospital into Gia Dinh People's Hospital from January 1, 2026; establishing Tu Du Hospital, branch 2 in Can Gio in October 2025 on the basis of receiving inpatient treatment functions from Can Gio Regional Medical Center.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health proposed to maintain the organization but increase comprehensive support for hospitals such as the Traditional Medicine Hospital of the Social Security Center, Pham Huu Chi Lung Hospital, Vung Tau General Hospital and Ba Ria General Hospital. In particular, Ba Ria General Hospital will be comprehensively inspected before implementing the consolidation solution.

The Department of Health orients the development of the second facility of end-level hospitals, such as: Assigning Tu Du or Hung Vuong Hospital to deploy the second facility at Le Loi Hospital; assigning Oncology Hospital to deploy the second facility at Ba Ria Hospital; assigning Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital and Mental Hospital to deploy new facilities in Binh Duong .

Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health is completing procedures to receive the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Hospital and will study the plan to merge this hospital into the second facility of the Ho Chi Minh City Rehabilitation and Occupational Disease Treatment Hospital.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health is managing 15 units, of which 12 units are received from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, and 3 units are received from Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Thu Duc City.

It is expected that in the first quarter of 2026, the Thu Duc City Social Security Center will be dissolved due to the end of the pilot period and no longer being suitable after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The remaining 14 centers will be maintained and a comprehensive survey will be conducted in 2026 to develop a plan to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of services for the disadvantaged.

It is expected that after the reorganization, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health will have 91 public service units (a reduction of 27 units), and at the same time, 168 new health stations will be established under the People's Committees at the commune level.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health affirmed that the arrangement aims to streamline but still ensure the quality of medical examination and treatment and people's rights, towards an effective and sustainable public health system.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/de-xuat-giai-the-sap-nhap-to-chuc-lai-co-so-y-te-thanh-lap-tram-y-te-xa-phuong-dac-khu-399131.html