Merging Saigon General Hospital after more than 100 years of service

The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has just issued a decision to reorganize Saigon General Hospital by merging it into Gia Dinh People's Hospital under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

From January 1, 2026, Saigon General Hospital officially ceased operations after more than a century of service to merge into Gia Dinh People's Hospital - Photo: MT

Gia Dinh People's Hospital will have two facilities at No. 1 No Trang Long, Gia Dinh Ward and the second facility at No. 125 Le Loi, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. How will medical examination and treatment be changed?

Receive facilities and human resources in their original state

From January 1, 2026, Saigon General Hospital officially ceased operations. All functions, tasks, organizational structure, personnel, facilities, equipment, finance, assets... and related rights and obligations were transferred to Gia Dinh People's Hospital for continued management, exploitation and use.

Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assigned Saigon General Hospital to closely coordinate with Gia Dinh People's Hospital in the handover and acceptance process, ensuring accuracy, transparency and compliance with regulations.

At the same time, coordinate ideological work, promptly grasp and resolve difficulties and problems of officials and employees, ensuring stability, consensus, and peace of mind at work during the reorganization process.

Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City must arrange departments, rooms, and assign personnel appropriate to the hospital's functions after reorganization, ensuring the maintenance of professional activities and not causing interruptions in the provision of medical services in the area.

During the handover process, all activities of Saigon General Hospital and Gia Dinh People's Hospital will be guaranteed to be continuous and uninterrupted. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health will coordinate with relevant departments and branches to guide and resolve difficulties and problems of Saigon General Hospital and Gia Dinh People's Hospital regarding matters related to their respective fields until the merger is completed.

Improve treatment effectiveness

Speaking with Tuoi Tre, a representative of Gia Dinh People's Hospital said that as a stepping stone for the merger, starting from June 2025, the hospital has participated in providing comprehensive support for Saigon General Hospital.

To increase patient attraction, the two hospitals cooperated to expand clinic and emergency activities. Developing a model of the hospital's satellite clinic located at Saigon General Hospital, in which doctors and specialists from Gia Dinh People's Hospital, mainly specialists, are rotated to support examination and treatment at this satellite clinic.

In addition, emergency activities are also organized, rearranged, and professional quality is improved.

Recently, the Saigon - Gia Dinh Emergency Resuscitation Center was established based on close coordination between the Ho Chi Minh City 115 Emergency Center, Saigon General Hospital and Gia Dinh People's Hospital. Instead of having to transfer patients elsewhere, emergency cases are now received and treated on the spot, contributing to increasing the number of patients and improving treatment efficiency.

Are patient rights affected?

In response to people's questions about whether the merger will affect patients' rights? According to the leader of Gia Dinh People's Hospital, patients' rights are certainly guaranteed, and patients are still examined and treated according to their rights.

Furthermore, merging two hospitals also aims to improve service quality, so in the long run, patients' interests will benefit even more, such as increased human resource quality; upgraded machinery and processes; a more consistent and synchronized treatment system...

"Some tests that were previously not performed at Saigon General Hospital can now be transferred to Gia Dinh People's Hospital for implementation. In cases where surgery cannot be performed at facility 2, the procedure will be transferred to the main facility for processing, but the medical records will remain unified and continuous," said a representative of the hospital's leadership.

According to this person, staff from Saigon General Hospital were sent to Gia Dinh People's Hospital for study and professional training. Conversely, doctors from Gia Dinh People's Hospital were also transferred to work at Saigon General Hospital. After the merger is completed, there will be a redistribution of work more suitable to the capacity and needs of each position, but it will not affect the working position or salary of medical staff.

Towards medical examination for foreigners

Mr. Bui Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Head of Medical Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said that the comprehensive cooperation between the two hospitals will help people enjoy high-quality medical services without having to travel far, while promoting the advantages of geographical location and infrastructure of Saigon General Hospital.

Located in a prime location, near Ben Thanh market, the hospital not only aims to examine and treat people but also aims to develop medical examination services for foreigners and medical tourism . With the orientation of becoming a general hospital specializing in emergency care, the hospital not only contributes to reducing the load on the main facility but also meets the increasing emergency needs of the city's residents as well as international tourists.

Closing the mission after more than a century of service

Dr. Mai Duc Huy, Deputy Executive Director of Saigon General Hospital, said that this hospital is located in a prime location with many tourists and the hospital receives treatment and health care for residents of neighboring districts. According to statistics, the hospital receives 600 - 700 outpatients every day, the rate of foreign patients is 10%.

Saigon General Hospital has made its mark in the medical history of Ho Chi Minh City, being one of the oldest hospitals. Starting as a clinic in 1914, the hospital has gone through many stages of development and expansion.

From being called "Polyclinique Dejean de la Batie" in 1939, to being renamed "Saigon Hospital" in 1955, the hospital has continuously served and provided diverse medical care to the community. As of 1985, after a process of mergers and changes, the hospital continues to exist and operate under the name "Saigon General Hospital".

Back to topic

DONATION

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sap-nhap-benh-vien-da-khoa-sai-gon-sau-hon-100-nam-phuc-vu-20251017010609295.htm