At 6 p.m., the corridor of the radiation treatment area of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital was still lit. The chairs along the aisle were full of people, most of them patients waiting for their turn for radiation treatment after hours. The nurses' voices calling names were mixed with the sighs of those fighting cancer every day.
The corridor of the radiation treatment area at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital is still crowded even though it is after office hours (Photo: Dieu Linh)
18h still waiting for radiotherapy
Ms. Hien (37 years old, living in Tay Ninh ) is waiting to be called for her fourth radiotherapy session. She said she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer last September.
“My tumor was large, the doctor said it couldn’t be operated on right away, I had to undergo chemotherapy to shrink it before surgery. I had surgery at the end of February this year, and then started the medication 3 weeks later,” she said.
According to the treatment protocol, radiotherapy is a mandatory step after surgery. Ms. Hien was advised to choose 2 options: radiotherapy covered by health insurance and radiotherapy for service. If choosing the radiotherapy option covered by health insurance, the patient will have to wait about 2 months. Meanwhile, for the remaining option, the patient only has to wait about 2 weeks, but the cost will be higher.
“My illness has a 70% chance of recurring. Afraid of waiting too long and the illness getting worse, my family agreed to use the service,” she said.
Sitting in the same row, Ms. Tien (30 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) also had a similar story.
Ms. Tien discovered her illness at the end of December 2024, when a mole on her chest continuously oozed fluid and pus. Initially, the local doctor diagnosed her with an abscess and prescribed medication, but her condition did not improve.
After a re-examination at the Dermatology Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Tien was suspected of having melanoma and was referred to the Oncology Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City for treatment. There, she received the results of having stage 3 melanoma.
According to the protocol, the woman had to undergo radical surgery to remove the tumor and then undergo radiation therapy. When it came time for radiation therapy, she faced a major obstacle: waiting time.
“The doctor said that the radiation treatment covered by health insurance is too crowded with patients waiting, I have to wait 2 months for my turn. If I choose the service of radiation treatment outside of business hours, it will only take 2 weeks.
It has been 4 months since my surgery and I have not received any medication yet. I was afraid that it would spread if I waited too long, so I chose to get radiotherapy, even though I was not very well off,” she said.
Both women share one thing in common: they didn't choose the service because they wanted to, but because they couldn't wait.
With cancer, every day is a risk. In the current waiting situation, patients are forced to weigh money against time, between economic ability and the risk of disease progression.
Medical staff prepare patients for radiotherapy at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital (Photo: Hospital).
Doctors work overtime, radiotherapy machines work continuously, patients are still waiting
Speaking to Dan Tri reporter, Dr. Diep Bao Tuan, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, said that the hospital currently has 13 radiotherapy machines, but only 8 modern machines are still working well, 2 machines are 21 years old and often broken down, and 3 machines are no longer working.
Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital is a leading specialized hospital. The number of patients visiting the hospital is on the rise.
Every day, the hospital receives 4,700-5,000 patients for examination, 1,000 outpatients, and more than 1,000 inpatients. This number has increased by about 10% compared to the same period last year. Of which, the number of patients requiring radiotherapy is increasing.
“The radiation machines are running continuously 3 shifts per day. In total, about 600 patients have been treated, but there are still about 400 patients waiting. The waiting time ranges from 1 to 4 weeks,” said Dr. Tuan.
According to the Director of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, this unit has implemented many measures to shorten waiting time for patients.
“The hospital has coordinated the number of patients between the two facilities, ensuring that the waiting time between the facilities is not too different. Medical staff are mobilized to work overtime, continuously operating 3 shifts of radiation machines to serve patients,” the doctor shared.
In addition, the hospital also signed a comprehensive maintenance contract with the equipment company to ensure that repairs take place immediately when a machine breaks down.
The hospital also reported and recommended to the Department of Health, departments and the People's Committee the situation of patients waiting for radiation at the unit and requested to invest in more radiation therapy machines. The leaders of the Oncology Hospital also said that the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has approved a priority plan to invest in 3 more radiation therapy machines in the period 2026-2030 for this unit.
Sharing more, Dr. Diep Bao Tuan said that according to international standards, on average every 1 million people needs at least 1 radiotherapy machine.
Ho Chi Minh City alone, after the merger, has a population of 14 million. In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital is also treating many patients from neighboring localities.
“This not only puts great pressure on radiotherapy for the hospital but also puts pressure on traffic and accommodation for the city and increases treatment costs as well as other expenses for patients.
Therefore, investing in more radiation machines at provincial hospitals is reasonable, necessary and has long-term significance in terms of specialized treatment, reducing costs for patients and reducing pressure on the city," the doctor shared.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/may-xa-tri-hoat-dong-het-cong-suat-bac-si-tang-ca-benh-nhan-van-phai-cho-20251121015231104.htm
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