Boosting the private healthcare sector.

For the health of the people

In the northwestern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, Xuyen A General Hospital has been a trusted healthcare provider for residents of Cu Chi and Hoc Mon districts (Ho Chi Minh City) and Tay Ninh province for many years. On average, the hospital receives 2,000-2,500 outpatient visits and provides inpatient treatment for 1,000-1,500 people daily. Meanwhile, in the western gateway, Gia An 115 Hospital and City International Hospital are well-known names in the area whenever residents need medical care. These hospitals also attract many people from the southwestern provinces. Among them, Gia An 115 Hospital - a product of the public-private partnership (PPP) model between Hoa Lam Group and People's Hospital 115 - is known for performing advanced specialized techniques such as cardiology, neurology - stroke, endocrinology, and orthopedics. Its team of professionals, trained both domestically and internationally, along with leading experts from People's Hospital 115, has significantly reduced the burden on tertiary hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City.

The medical team at Tam Anh General Hospital performed robotic surgery on a patient.

Particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, private hospitals such as Hoan My Thu Duc General Hospital, Nam Saigon Hospital, Xuyen A Hospital, Gia An 115 Hospital, etc., converted their functions to become Covid-19 treatment hospitals. Thanks to this, thousands of patients received timely treatment, making a significant contribution to reducing the burden on public healthcare facilities. Vaccination teams from the private hospital system also vaccinated thousands of people against Covid-19. During the peak of the pandemic, with the number of severe Covid-19 patients constantly increasing, private units did not hesitate to invest in equipment (such as ventilators, negative pressure isolation rooms, dialysis machines, ECMO systems, etc.), establishing Covid-19 intensive care centers to provide timely emergency care to patients.

Along with combating the Covid-19 pandemic and easing the burden on higher-level hospitals, private hospitals are also a "bright spot" in attracting foreign patients and developing medical tourism . For example, City International Hospital sees a continuous increase in the number of foreign patients seeking medical treatment each year, primarily foreigners living and working in Ho Chi Minh City and foreign visitors from Cambodia, Laos, etc., who come for medical treatment through tourism. Established later, Tam Anh General Hospital is emerging as a phenomenon in Ho Chi Minh City's healthcare sector, excelling in both service quality and specialized development. In addition to acquiring many modern medical equipment, Tam Anh General Hospital has also attracted leading experts in various fields and established specialized centers.

We need some "boosts".

According to Associate Professor, Doctor Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the city currently has 66 private hospitals along with more than 7,800 private multi-specialty clinics. Private healthcare has made many contributions to the overall development of the city, most importantly helping to significantly reduce the burden on the public healthcare system, which has long been overloaded. Recently, the private healthcare system has undergone a transformation in quality, focusing on the development of specialized medical services. “These are positive signs. Previously, most seriously ill patients had to be transferred from private to public hospitals for treatment, but now private hospitals can confidently retain patients for treatment. This is also a prerequisite for private hospitals to be able to match public hospitals in terms of treatment quality in the future,” Associate Professor Tang Chi Thuong assessed.

However, currently, the scale of private hospitals is still very small, accounting for only 10% of the total number of hospital beds nationwide. In developed countries in the region such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, the private healthcare system accounts for more than 50% of the total number of hospital beds, which shows the crucial role of private healthcare. Therefore, Vietnam needs policies to increase the total number of hospital beds to about 20%-30%, such as preferential loan policies and preferential land lease policies. "If we cannot mobilize resources from the private healthcare sector, it will be very difficult to develop specialized healthcare due to the enormous investment required. To attract private investment in healthcare, long-term support policies are needed because if the policies are only short-term, no one will invest in specialized healthcare," Associate Professor Dr. Tang Chi Thuong analyzed.

Based on this reality, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has proposed to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee a pilot mechanism and policy to create momentum for the development of Ho Chi Minh City in the healthcare sector. According to the Department of Health, given the limited budget, it is necessary to mobilize private sector participation through public-private partnerships, allowing private companies to build new facilities at different locations (facility 2), with public hospitals providing specialized personnel and their brand. The project "Establishing a Center for Early Screening and Diagnosis using High Technology" needs to attract private investment to quickly meet the healthcare needs of the people in the area. Furthermore, in line with social development needs, Ho Chi Minh City needs to build more complex nursing homes for the elderly, high-tech rehabilitation centers, etc., with the participation of private healthcare.

According to Professor Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, Ho Chi Minh City has 66 private hospitals out of a total of 330 private hospitals nationwide (accounting for nearly 20%). The private healthcare system in Ho Chi Minh City has developed strongly, with the number of outpatient and inpatient treatments reaching over 7.6 million in 2022; many advanced medical techniques in diagnosis, treatment, and care have been invested in and successfully implemented.

Ms. TRAN KHANH THU, Member of Parliament: Enacting preferential policies

Ho Chi Minh City is facing pressure from overcrowding due to the large number of people seeking medical treatment, not only from the city but also from many other provinces and cities. Therefore, mechanisms and policies are needed to attract social resources, especially the private healthcare system, to work alongside the city's healthcare system. Ho Chi Minh City needs to be granted the authority to issue specific preferential policies to attract investors in healthcare or other areas of public health care. For example, land allocation, investment procedures, and administrative procedures to allow the private healthcare system to participate in building new hospitals and facilities - especially in the fields of oncology, cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology...

Dr. Nguyen Huu Tung, Vice President of the Association of Private Medical Practitioners: Public-private partnership is the right direction in the socialization of healthcare.

Public-private partnerships are a prerequisite for achieving equity in investment and healthcare for the people, creating a more open environment for the allocation of healthcare resources. The government needs to pay equal attention to private healthcare. When private healthcare grows stronger, it will help both the public and private sectors within the healthcare system develop equally and complement each other, aiming towards the common goal of providing healthcare for the people of Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.

Dr. Nguyen Phan Tu Dung, Director of JW Aesthetic Hospital: Confidence in Vietnamese healthcare is spreading rapidly.

Every year, JW Aesthetic Hospital receives many foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who come for consultations and cosmetic procedures. They all praise the skills of Vietnamese doctors and the very reasonable costs. In 2015, the hospital established a representative office in California (USA) to promote its services and achieved very positive results, not only contributing to the hospital's revenue but also developing tourism services. However, the current mechanism for private hospitals is still not "open," even though this sector brings in extremely large revenues for the country; therefore, private hospitals urgently need appropriate investment in terms of preferential loans, taxes, fees, land, etc.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khoi-dong-y-te-tu-nhan-post694345.html