Many problems in the operation of the Central Highlands General Hospital due to unsettled accounts

Regarding the Central Highlands General Hospital Project, after many years of operation, the final settlement has not yet been completed, as reported by VNA reporters. Currently, the hospital's operation has encountered many problems, significantly affecting people's health care.

It is worth mentioning that, as both the investor and the State management unit, for many years, the Dak Lak Department of Health has been "stuck in place" in resolving the problems related to the project.

Some items of the project have degraded but cannot be upgraded or repaired due to incomplete settlement.

Operating for more than 6 years but not officially licensed

The Central Highlands General Hospital was started in 2010 with a total investment of nearly 1,100 billion VND, invested by the Dak Lak Department of Health, and inaugurated on February 26, 2019 with 1,200 beds. This is the final medical facility providing health care for people in the Central Highlands. However, to date, the project has not been completed, so the hospital has not been granted an official operating license, causing many problems during operation.

Since February 2019, the hospital has had to use a temporary operating license (extended) due to the lack of project settlement documents. In addition, the hospital has not completed legal procedures on the environment due to the lack of environmental impact assessment reports, making it impossible for competent authorities to review, approve and grant licenses. This situation directly affects the work of signing annual social insurance contracts, registering waste source owners, treating medical waste and many other professional activities.

Although the hospital was put into use in 2019, up to now, 9/19 construction items of the project have not been settled, leading to incomplete settlement according to legal regulations. Therefore, the Central Highlands General Hospital does not have enough basis to determine that it is a state asset formed from the project.

Specifically, 9 construction items have not yet completed settlement, including: Technical and professional building (building area B); Inpatient treatment building No. 01 (building area C); Inpatient treatment building No. 02 (building area D); Inpatient treatment building No. 03 (building area E); Wastewater and waste treatment station; Medical gas system; Cable tank pipeline and external network; Water supply, drainage, sidewalks, internal roads and procurement and installation packages for the remaining items.

According to the Central Highlands General Hospital, the unfinished settlement of construction items has caused the hospital to lack legal records and documents to be used as a basis for repairs and upgrades. For example, the hospital needs to repair the Pharmacy Department (building B) to create a drug storage warehouse that meets GSP standards (Good storage practices for drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients) according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, but because building B has not yet completed the settlement, it cannot be implemented.

Similarly, in buildings C, D and E, there are some shortcomings in the design of glass windows during use. The glass windows are designed to be sealed, so the air circulation is not guaranteed, affecting the treatment and recovery process of patients, but currently cannot be repaired or upgraded because the settlement has not been completed.

Worryingly, the embankment of building E and the corridor of bridge No. 02 have collapsed, causing insecurity and threatening the lives of staff and patients as well as the items at the lower foot of the construction such as: Maintenance House, Mechanical House, and Elevator for transporting patient bodies.

The fire prevention and fighting pipeline system was put into use in 2019. Up to now, the main water pipeline supplying buildings A, B, C, D and E has degraded and is leaking water. Currently, it cannot ensure fire prevention and fighting operations because the water pressure can cause the pipeline to burst at any time.

On September 17, speaking with reporters, the leader of the Central Highlands General Hospital said that up to now, the items and projects that have not completed settlement have not been able to be upgraded or repaired because the project has not completed settlement.

Delay in project settlement

According to the law, project settlement is not only a technical step but also a mandatory legal and financial requirement. This contributes to increasing transparency, preventing corruption, waste and loss in construction investment. However, the Central Highlands General Hospital project, with a total investment of nearly 1,100 billion VND, has been in operation for more than 6 years but has not yet completed settlement.

After more than 6 years of operation, the Central Highlands General Hospital Project has not yet completed its final settlement.

Meanwhile, the Dak Lak Department of Health, as both the investor and the state management unit, has not yet thoroughly resolved issues related to project settlement after many years.

According to the reporter's investigation, the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee has directed the Department of Health to report and propose specific recommendations to resolve the shortcomings and problems of the project, but the Department is still slow in implementing the instructions. This has made public opinion indignant about the "hot above, cold below" situation at the Dak Lak Department of Health.

To clarify related issues and the responsibility of the Dak Lak Department of Health for the settlement of the Central Highlands General Hospital Project, VNA reporters have contacted the Department of Health many times but have not received any response so far.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/nhieu-vuong-mac-trong-van-hanh-benh-vien-da-khoa-vung-tay-nguyen-vi-chua-quyet-toan-20250917180107239.htm