Chaired by Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Phuoc Loc, medical experts proposed short-term and long-term solutions to help improve medical capacity in Con Dao special zone - Photo: Provided by Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health
On the morning of July 17, Mr. Tang Chi Thuong - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health - said that the department's working delegation, along with the city's leading medical experts and leaders of medical universities, had just conducted a survey and worked in Con Dao special zone, under the chairmanship of Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Phuoc Loc.
The working trip aimed to assess the current situation, needs and establish orientation for the development of the healthcare system in Con Dao - a place with a strategic position in terms of defense, security and potential for eco-tourism development in Ho Chi Minh City.
Two phases to develop Con Dao healthcare
Accordingly, Con Dao currently has about 14,000 permanent residents, receiving more than 400,000 tourists each year. However, the health care model here still has many difficulties, especially in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, pediatrics...
Access to advanced techniques in diagnosis, treatment, and emergency care for serious and critical cases is still the dream of doctors and nurses working on remote islands.
The experts of the working group clearly identified that the gradual upgrading of the Military-Civilian Medical Center into Con Dao General Hospital is a strategic direction, ensuring the capacity for medical examination and treatment, emergency care, public health management and response to emergency situations on remote islands.
Experts agreed on a two-phase development roadmap including: increasing the rotation of doctors by specialty, developing an emergency - resuscitation system, applying AI, managing the health of the entire population with electronic health records..., and converting medical centers into general hospitals of appropriate scale.
One of the highlights of the program is the orientation of applying digital technology in public health management in Con Dao. With a population size “just enough to conduct a comprehensive pilot”, creating health data for all people on the island is feasible.
From there, the health sector will coordinate with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy and technology partners to deploy a personalized health management system based on the family medicine model.
Regarding the implementation of specialist doctor rotation, leading hospitals such as Hung Vuong, Nhi Dong 1, Binh Dan, Nhan Dan 115, Nhan Dan Gia Dinh, Trauma and Orthopedics... committed to supporting specialist doctor rotation, organizing medical examinations, remote consultations, and transferring techniques to medical staff at Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center.
The first rotation of specialist doctors is expected to take place in early September 2025.
In particular, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine will support distance and continuous training, implement Green Summer programs, and be ready to support on-site medical human resource training for the island.
The Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City will implement a school dental program for all students, helping to prevent tooth decay for children living on the island.
Strategic tasks of expanded Ho Chi Minh City
The Ho Chi Minh City health sector is outlining a roadmap to sustainably improve the capacity of the Con Dao health system, ensuring the right to health care for all people living and working in the farthest parts of the city.
Speaking at the afternoon meeting of the same day at the People's Committee of Con Dao Special Zone, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc - Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee - highly appreciated the initiative of the health sector.
“Developing healthcare in Con Dao is not only for the welfare of the islanders but also a strategic task of the expanded Ho Chi Minh City. This is a step that demonstrates political responsibility, profound humanity and is consistent with the development orientation of the entire region after the merger.”
The City Party Committee leaders requested the Department of Health to soon complete the project to improve the medical capacity of Con Dao and submit it to the City to serve as a basis for the City People's Committee to allocate resources for implementation.
Secretary of Con Dao Special Zone Le Anh Tu said that people on Con Dao Island were very happy to receive information from the working group of the Ho Chi Minh City health sector, with many specific commitments to support to improve the quality of health care in the locality.
The leaders of Con Dao Special Zone affirmed that they will create the most favorable conditions in terms of accommodation, working environment, etc. so that medical staff from hospitals can rotate to work, provide professional support and take care of the health of people on the island effectively and sustainably.
Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center was established in 2005 with a scale of 60 beds. It is a combined unit between the Medical Center and the Con Dao District Military Hospital, performing the function of providing professional and technical services in preventive medicine, medical examination and treatment, rehabilitation and other medical services for the people and armed forces in the area.
In addition, the Center also receives and treats patients who are tourists and transient visitors (fishermen fishing in neighboring sea areas) taking shelter from the storm.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-tam-y-te-quan-dan-y-con-dao-se-nang-cap-thanh-benh-vien-da-khoa-20250717063417068.htm
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