Accelerating the completion of 3 billion-VND hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Thu Duc Regional General Hospital on Le Van Chi Street, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc City, is nearing completion next to the old hospital (photo taken on the afternoon of October 9) - Photo: PHUONG QUYEN

These are key projects of Ho Chi Minh City's health sector, with investments in construction and medical equipment procurement totaling nearly 10,000 billion VND.

This not only contributes to improving the quality of healthcare for the people and reducing the burden on higher-level hospitals, but also helps alleviate the pressure on neighboring provinces.

The doctor stopped wading through the water to provide emergency care, and the patient was overjoyed.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper's observations on the afternoon of October 9th, the new Thu Duc Regional General Hospital (located on Le Van Chi Street, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc City) is gradually revealing its "new look," with the spacious new buildings ready for operation.

Other areas, such as the parking lot and hospital grounds, are spacious. Numerous rows of straight, lush green trees create a refreshing and airy atmosphere.

Looking at the newly built hospital that is gradually becoming operational, Mrs. TTT (85 years old, Thu Duc City) - who for more than 10 years has had to go to the hospital monthly for check-ups and medication due to chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and joint pain - couldn't help but feel happy and eagerly await the day she can be examined at the new hospital.

"I'm really looking forward to the new hospital opening. After decades of visiting the old facility, I've noticed a significant deterioration, and the large number of patients makes it very cramped. The new hospital is spacious and clean, and going for checkups feels just as comfortable as at a private hospital," said Mrs. T.

Similarly, NHL (23 years old, Binh Duong) also said that the area where he lives in Binh Duong province is right next to Thu Duc General Hospital, so he frequently comes here for check-ups.

"There was a time when I was seriously ill and had to be hospitalized, even though I had booked a good bed. However, because the old facility was dilapidated and the walls were cracked, the quality of service was not up to par. I really hope the new facility will open soon so that people in other provinces can also benefit," Mr. L. said.

For Hoc Mon General Hospital, in previous years, the arrival of the rainy season was a nightmare for medical staff and patients alike.

Due to dilapidated facilities, the emergency department of this hospital is frequently flooded during rainy weather, forcing medical staff to wear boots and wade through the water to provide emergency care to patients.

Having worked in the emergency department for over 14 years, Head Nurse Nguyen Ngoc Thuy of Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital shared that she has witnessed many transformations of the hospital, from dilapidated facilities to its current spacious and modern state.

Not only Ms. Thuy, but all the medical staff here are happy that the newly built hospital allows them to work in a clean, spacious, and well-equipped environment.

This hospital was also completed and put into operation earlier (October 2024) compared to Thu Duc Regional General Hospital and Cu Chi Regional General Hospital, which will not be operational until 2025.

In particular, the opening of the nephrology and dialysis department in the new building from March 2024 is not only a joy for medical staff, but also for kidney failure patients who have been associated with the hospital for a long time, which had become dilapidated and often flooded during rainy weather.

The new Cu Chi Regional General Hospital in Tan An Hoi commune, Cu Chi district (Ho Chi Minh City) has a total investment of 1,854 billion VND - Photo: PHUONG QUYEN

Prepare resources for the hospital to operate.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, Dr. Cao Tan Phuoc, director of Thu Duc Regional General Hospital, happily shared that the construction of the new hospital is now 90% complete and is expected to officially open before April 30, 2025.

"Not only are patients delighted to be examined in a spacious and airy environment, but the hospital staff are also very happy and satisfied. This motivates them to study and work, increasing their opportunities to showcase their talents," said Dr. Phuoc.

Dr. Phuoc added that on average, the hospital receives between 2,800 and 3,200 patients for examination each day, and it is expected that the number of patients will continue to increase when the new hospital becomes operational.

Located at the northeastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, bordering provinces such as Binh Duong and Dong Nai , the hospital not only provides healthcare for residents of Thu Duc City but also for people from neighboring provinces. Currently, the hospital serves approximately 40% of patients from these provinces, and this number will certainly increase if the facility is fully developed.

Meanwhile, at Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital, Mr. Dang Quoc Quan, the hospital director, said that the hospital has now accepted all patients for examination and treatment, both inpatient and outpatient, in the new building.

Regarding the procurement of machinery and equipment for the hospital, Mr. Quan said that the hospital is the beneficiary unit, and the investor is the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects for Civil and Industrial Works of Ho Chi Minh City. "Having new facilities, the hospital is very much hoping to receive more medical machinery and equipment according to schedule," Mr. Quan shared.

At Cu Chi Regional General Hospital (located at the northwestern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City), a new facility was also built with 1,000 beds and 1,365 billion VND was spent on purchasing equipment (161 pieces of equipment, including two 64-128 slice CT-Scanner systems and two other CT-Scanner systems).

The Department of Health expects the hospital to continuously improve the quality of treatment and proactively cooperate with the city's tertiary hospitals.

At the same time, we will continue to strengthen and promote the development of human resources and improve specialized departments to meet the medical needs of the people of Cu Chi and neighboring localities.

Source: Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health - Compiled by: XM - Graphics: Tuan Anh

Work hard to complete the project on schedule.

In September 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council approved a proposal on the investment plan for the procurement of equipment for three gateway hospitals with a total capital of over 4,300 billion VND. Specifically, Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital received 1,491 billion VND, Thu Duc Regional General Hospital received 1,450 billion VND, and Cu Chi Regional General Hospital received 1,365 billion VND.

Right from the moment the City People's Council and People's Committee approved the investment plan to purchase equipment for the three gateway hospitals, the health sector identified these as key projects of the city and the health sector to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) and to be the focus of the entire sector's operations in 2024-2025.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, a representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health stated that with its developed healthcare system, the city's health sector has not only provided healthcare for over 10 million residents but has also treated millions of patients nationwide and internationally over the years.

Located at the city's gateways, bordering neighboring localities, the three gateway hospitals – Hoc Mon, Thu Duc, and Cu Chi – serve both local residents and provide medical services to people from other provinces. However, after a long period of operation, the hospitals' facilities have deteriorated. Therefore, investing in new hospital equipment is absolutely essential.

Furthermore, investing in standardized equipment for these three hospitals is essential to improve their medical examination and treatment capabilities, create favorable conditions, meet the growing needs of the people, and reduce pressure on existing hospitals in the central area.

Once completed, the three gateway hospitals will have complete facilities and modern, integrated medical equipment, contributing to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment for people in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces.

To ensure that the new facilities of the three gateway hospitals operate effectively according to the plan, the Department of Health organized consultations with leading experts from various medical specialties in the city to reach a consensus on the development direction for the hospitals.

Simultaneously, provide input on the investment portfolio for purchasing medical equipment for hospitals, ensuring it aligns with the unit's development direction, guarantees efficiency, avoids waste, and complies with current legal regulations.

Hospitals located at gateways should receive appropriate investment.

In 2021, the Prime Minister approved the investment plan for the construction of three new hospitals: Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital, Cu Chi Regional General Hospital, and Thu Duc Regional General Hospital, with a total capital of over 5,600 billion VND from the city's budget to serve the healthcare needs of the people. In addition to providing healthcare for the people of these districts and counties, these hospitals will also be responsible for treating illnesses for people in neighboring provinces.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), stated that with many hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City currently lacking hospital beds and failing to meet the healthcare needs of the people, investing in the construction and procurement of medical equipment for three hospitals at the gateways to Ho Chi Minh City will help reduce the overload on higher-level hospitals and simultaneously reduce the number of patients and their relatives traveling into the city center.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health announced that, according to the committed progress plan of the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Civil and Industrial Works (the investor) with the City People's Committee and the Department of Health, the investment projects for all three equipment procurement projects will be approved in October 2024. The selection of contractors for equipment supply and installation will be implemented in the first and second quarters of 2025. The supply, installation, user training, acceptance testing, and commissioning of the equipment will be completed from the second to the fourth quarter of 2025.

Of these, the equipment for Thu Duc Regional General Hospital will be deployed and installed earliest, starting in the second quarter of 2025. The remaining hospitals will receive their equipment later, but all three hospitals mentioned above will have completed the installation and put all specialized medical equipment into use by the end of 2025.

New facility available: retraining and urgent recruitment of staff.

According to Dr. Cao Tan Phuoc, director of Thu Duc Regional General Hospital, in preparation for its opening, the hospital submitted a proposal to the Department of Health requesting an increase from 800 to 1,500 staff members. The hospital recruits staff weekly through a recruitment committee to ensure it has highly skilled and qualified personnel to meet the needs when the hospital reaches 1,000 beds. Notably, while the number of doctors applying to the hospital was not high before, the number of applicants has increased significantly since the new facility was established.

Representatives from Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital stated that to ensure staffing and improve doctors' skills, the hospital continues to recruit new doctors and send doctors for further training at higher-level hospitals to become more proficient in using MRI and CT-Scan machines when they are equipped in the near future.

Meanwhile, regarding staffing for hospitals, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health stated that hospitals had previously submitted staffing proposals to the Department of Health to prepare for the influx of personnel.

The Department of Health has invited experts to provide input and guidance on personnel matters, from management to professional expertise. In addition, the department is proactively training personnel to prepare for the hospitals. It is hoped that in the future, with new investments in facilities and modern medical equipment, they will certainly attract a skilled workforce of doctors and medical professionals.

Ho Chi Minh City calls for investment in numerous healthcare projects.

In early March 2024, Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital relocated its entire nephrology and dialysis department (phase 1 of the project) to a new facility - Photo: PHUONG QUYEN

Recently, at the Ho Chi Minh City Health Sector Business Dialogue Conference, Dr. Vo Hoang Nhan (Finance and Planning Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health) stated that during the period 2026-2030, the city will invest in 150 projects for medical construction and equipment, infrastructure, and information technology with a total investment of over 52,000 billion VND. Of these, 40 projects will focus on investing in information technology and smart healthcare; and 110 projects will involve the construction and equipping of medical supplies and equipment.

Ho Chi Minh City is calling on domestic and foreign investors to build six projects related to treatment for foreigners, high-tech disease screening, and stroke treatment hospitals. These six projects, open for investment under Resolution 181 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, include:

* Examination and treatment area of ​​Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital

* Department for examination and treatment of foreigners at Le Van Thinh Hospital

Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Hospital

* 2 High-tech screening and diagnostic centers in Thu Duc City and Binh Chanh District

* The teaching hospital of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine.

These projects will be implemented through public-private partnerships (PPP). The number of projects will continue to expand in the future.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector is inviting prestigious medical universities worldwide to establish and expand facilities, and to cooperate with health-related schools in the city for training and teaching.

Focus on mobilizing social resources to collaborate with leading specialized and general hospitals in developing specialized fields. Encourage private businesses to open centers for areas such as cardiology, burns, regenerative medicine, and elderly care.

Furthermore, in the context of increasingly overloaded tertiary hospitals, the city hopes that investors can establish second-tier hospitals, such as eye hospitals or orthopedic hospitals.

The Department of Health also stated that the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City have approved the establishment of a project to mobilize social resources to invest in the development of the health sector, creating policy mechanisms and legal frameworks to attract investors to contribute to the implementation of projects, bringing the best healthcare services to the people.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tang-toc-hoan-thien-3-benh-vien-ngan-ti-o-tp-hcm-20241010083146514.htm