Improving healthcare in Con Dao Special Zone

With the motto "leaving no one behind," even in the most remote areas, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector will soon increase investment in facilities and medical staff to enhance the healthcare capacity of the Con Dao Special Zone.

Medical examination and treatment capacity is still limited.

Admitted to the emergency room with chest pain and shortness of breath due to war-related complications, coupled with multiple chronic non-communicable diseases, Mr. Do Van Hai (70 years old, residing in residential area No. 5, Con Dao Special Zone, Ho Chi Minh City) was quickly examined and given initial first aid by doctors and nurses at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center. His health gradually stabilized, and Mr. Hai was transferred to an inpatient ward for continued monitoring and treatment.

"Whether the center is crowded or not, everyone receives thorough examinations and careful treatment from the medical team, although most illnesses are common. Being on an island 97 nautical miles from the mainland, if someone unfortunately falls seriously ill, the whole family becomes anxious and worried because they have to wait for ships, planes, and favorable weather conditions before they can be transported to the mainland for treatment," Mr. Hai confided.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu (a tourist from Khanh Hoa) shared that this is her second time returning to Con Dao. What she and other tourists are concerned about is that the island's healthcare services are not up to par with the development of this " tourism paradise." "No one wants to need medical services when visiting the island, but if the place we are staying has the capacity to receive and handle health issues effectively, we will feel much more at ease," Ms. Thu said.

First Lieutenant, military doctor Bui Nguyen Thanh Nam examines and treats patients at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center. Photo: TRUC GIANG

According to Dr. Le Cong Tho, Director of the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center, the center currently has a capacity of 100 beds (60 beds in phase 1; an additional 40 beds in phase 2), with 4 clinical and paraclinical departments, 1 department for disease control and food safety, 1 pharmacy department, and 3 functional rooms. The total number of medical staff working at the center is 74, including 16 doctors.

On average, the center receives and treats over 26,000 outpatients annually, performing 170-200 surgeries. Patients include not only residents, officials, and soldiers of the armed forces on the island, but also tourists and fishermen from other localities.

"However, medical examination and treatment are mainly carried out according to a general multi-specialty model, lacking specialized departments such as pediatrics, obstetrics, and ENT... This somewhat limits the ability to meet the specialized medical needs of the people and does not create peace of mind for tourists visiting the island," Dr. Le Cong Tho expressed.

Dr. Tran Van Khanh, Director of Le Van Thinh Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City:

Ready to send out top doctors to provide support.

The hospital has prepared both human and material resources to support the medical needs of the Con Dao Special Zone when requested by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health. More than 10 doctors, nurses, and technicians are ready to volunteer to go to the island.

Initially, the hospital will select 2-3 personnel for a period of 3-12 months. These are highly skilled doctors and medical professionals specializing in internal medicine, surgery, and traditional medicine, with the aim of helping the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center build a team of skilled doctors in these specialties after their volunteer service ends. To ensure their peace of mind, in addition to the city's general policies, the hospital will provide an additional allowance of 3-5 million VND per person per month, depending on their position.

Dr. Do Tan Khoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital:

Specialized training in traditional medicine

As a leading hospital specializing in traditional medicine in the southern region, upon request from the city's health department, we will send medical staff, doctors, and pharmacists to reinforce and support the health services in Con Dao. We are also ready to provide on-site training or training at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center for medical staff on advanced traditional medicine treatments; and to support the NETCOM software for diagnosis, treatment, prescription writing, and non-drug methods of traditional medicine developed by the hospital itself...

QUANG HUY wrote

Strengthening human resources and investing in infrastructure.

To help the healthcare system of Con Dao Special Zone develop to its full potential, at the six-month review conference recently organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized: "It is necessary to accelerate investment in modern medical facilities and equipment and send experts, doctors, and medical staff to support the healthcare system of Con Dao Special Zone, with the motto 'no one should be left behind,' even in the most remote areas."

Following these directives, the city's health sector immediately implemented an action program, divided into two phases. According to the plan, in phase 1 (Q3 2025), volunteer doctors from the city will be rotated to work in Con Dao on September 2nd this year.

Dr. Vo Duc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, said that the hospital is ready to promote health education and communication to raise public awareness about cancer prevention; provide direct and online training and technology transfer to doctors and medical staff at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center to improve their basic diagnostic and treatment capabilities for cancer; and organize telemedicine consultation programs to help patients in the Con Dao Special Zone receive consultations, diagnoses, and treatment advice from leading oncologists at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital.

At the same time, the hospital is also ready to receive patients from the special zone for examination, screening, and treatment. When there is a higher demand from the sector to develop the oncology specialty in the special zone, the hospital is ready to send a team of medical professionals on a rotational basis to work at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center as assigned.

In recent times, many businesses have actively collaborated with the city's healthcare system in improving the quality of primary healthcare. Among them, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company (BSR) recently donated a large amount of modern medical equipment to the special economic zone's medical center, including an RO water system for hemodialysis, a hemodialysis machine, a filter washing machine for hemodialysis, a CT scanner with less than 64 slices, a mobile X-ray machine, a biochemical and immunological testing system, an HbA1C testing machine, a blood coagulation analyzer, and equipment for washing and drying medical instruments, supplies, and chemicals... worth 20 billion VND.

Mr. Le Anh Tu, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Con Dao Special Zone, said that the people and the government of the special zone are very pleased to receive special attention from the city and social resources. This is an opportunity to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment services at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center in the future. Besides strengthening the management team (currently the center has two vacant deputy directors and several heads of departments/divisions), the locality is also accelerating the renovation and repair of official residences and building more apartments to provide stable housing for medical experts, doctors, nurses, officials, and civil servants from the mainland working on the island.

The Secretary of the Party Committee of the Con Dao Special Zone also suggested: “Previously, doctors, nurses, officials, and civil servants working on the island enjoyed special policies, including long-term service allowances, initial allowances, relocation allowances, retirement allowances, regional allowances, and medical sector allowances based on professional level… In addition, this group also received an additional 2.3 million VND/person/month from the local budget according to Resolution No. 16/2020/NQ-HĐND of the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Therefore, in addition to maintaining the above policies, Ho Chi Minh City needs to continue to have special preferential policies such as: increasing allowances according to Resolution 98, building a mechanism to support accompanying family members, improving living and working environments on the island…”.

Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone

Building healthcare facilities that meet international standards.

Besides the Medical Center, Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone (An Giang province) has many private medical facilities, Vinmec International Hospital, etc., which basically meet the medical needs of local people and tourists.

Given the rapid development of Phu Quoc Island, the "pearl island" is investing heavily in the healthcare sector to improve the quality of medical services and attract tourism. Specifically, two projects, the An Thoi International Hospital and the Phu Quoc Sun Hospital, are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. These two hospitals will not only provide international-standard healthcare services for the local population but also offer peace of mind to tourists visiting Phu Quoc for vacation.

Specifically, the Phu Quoc Sun Hospital project, invested by Sun Group, aims to provide healthcare services that meet international standards, attract tourists, and improve the quality of life for the people of Phu Quoc. The project will be a "piece" that further perfects the high-class tourism ecosystem of Sun Paradise Land, with its 5-star resorts and world-class entertainment complexes that Sun Group has been developing in Phu Quoc for over a decade.

HEART

TRUC GIANG - QUANG HUY

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nang-chat-y-te-dac-khu-con-dao-post803768.html