The Department of Health directs hospitals not to let cancer patients suffer disadvantages.

SGGPO 10/02/2023 16:30

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health directed the maximum mobilization of available resources at medical facilities in the area, regardless of public or private, following the principle of not letting patients "suffer".

Oncology Hospital doctor takes MRI scan for patient (photo taken before the scanner was damaged)

On October 2, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health held an emergency meeting to agree on temporary solutions when the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital encountered difficulties, both MRI machines at two facilities were damaged and operations were interrupted.

According to the report of the Oncology Hospital, the hospital has 2 MRI machines for patients, one at facility 1 (Binh Thanh district) has been in use for more than 10 years. Recently, this machine has been frequently damaged and has stopped working, the repair cost is very high. The hospital's Board of Directors has planned to buy a new machine and is expected to deploy it in 2024 to serve patients with the city's stimulus loan mechanism.

In the past, the Oncology Hospital has sent patients to Facility 2 for MRI when indicated. However, recently, the MRI machine at Facility 2 suddenly broke down after more than 3 years of use. The Oncology Hospital immediately contacted the manufacturer of this machine and received feedback that it would be repaired soon.

According to Dr. Pham Xuan Dung, Director of the Oncology Hospital, the MRI machine manufacturer ordered the equipment from Singapore, then shipped it to Vietnam for repair and replacement. It is expected that after about a week, this MRI machine will be able to operate normally again.

In response to this incident, the Board of Directors of the Department of Health requested that hospitals with MRI machines that are not being used at full capacity support the Oncology Hospital and not let cancer patients suffer during the period of waiting for the Oncology Hospital to repair (facility 2) and replace with a new machine (facility 1).

Accordingly, Hong Duc 2 Hospital and Thu Duc Regional General Hospital volunteered to support the Oncology Hospital.

Specifically, Hong Duc 2 Hospital will support MRI scans for patients of Oncology Hospital 1. The hospital also transports patients free of charge from Oncology Hospital 1 to Hong Duc 2 Hospital for MRI scans and returns patients to Oncology Hospital 1 after the scans are completed. Hong Duc 2 Hospital is committed to operating 24/7 whenever patients need MRI scans.

Similarly, Thu Duc Regional General Hospital will support MRI scans for patients of Oncology Hospital 2. Accordingly, there will be a vehicle to take patients with MRI scans to Thu Duc Regional General Hospital for the procedure. After the scan is completed, there will be a vehicle to take the patient back to Oncology Hospital 2.

Patients with health insurance do not have to pay any additional fees to these two hospitals. The transportation of patients is completely free of charge by the two hospitals.

The Department of Health requires the Oncology Hospital, Thu Duc Regional General Hospital and Hong Duc 2 Hospital to establish strict procedures for transferring patients for MRI scans, and sign clear responsibility contracts to ensure legitimate rights and safety for patients.

At the same time, the Oncology Hospital is required to widely notify patients of the hotline number to contact when encountering difficulties during MRI scans at other hospitals.

In addition, the Department of Health requires hospitals to proactively have plans to maintain and repair medical equipment to ensure that medical examination and treatment activities are not interrupted. It is necessary to develop possible situations for important medical equipment, and corresponding handling scenarios in the spirit of mobilizing maximum available resources at medical facilities in the area, regardless of public or private, following the principle of not letting patients "suffer".

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