Modern healthcare – the cornerstone of a livable city.

The development of a city is not only recognized by its wide boulevards, modern industrial zones, or bustling commercial centers. A livable city must also be a place where residents have access to high-quality healthcare services and receive comprehensive health protection and care right from the front lines.

Báo Đồng Nai•18/05/2026

A heart surgery at Dong Nai General Hospital.

The healthcare sector in Dong Nai City is making gradual efforts to build a modern, smart, and equitable healthcare system. This will contribute to building a livable city.

From healthcare to creating a quality of life.

Dong Nai is a crucial growth pole in the Southern key economic region, with rapid industrialization and urbanization, a large population, a large workforce, and an increasing demand for healthcare. As Dong Nai becomes a city, the pressure on healthcare infrastructure extends beyond just medical examination and treatment to include: public health management, disease prevention, food safety, healthcare for the population, and the need to improve the quality of the population.

In this context, the healthcare sector must not only focus on treating illnesses but also proactively protect people's health and prevent disease. Dr. Le Quang Trung, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health, affirmed: Building a smart healthcare management model must be based on data, centered on the people, and with service efficiency as its core objective. Modern healthcare is not just about investing in equipment and building large hospitals; more importantly, it's about creating a convenient, transparent, fast, and integrated healthcare ecosystem for all citizens.

One of the clearest examples of the transformation of Dong Nai's healthcare sector is the digital transformation process associated with a smart governance model. This is not simply the application of technology, but a comprehensive change in how patients are served and the system is managed.

According to data from the Dong Nai Department of Health, to date, all 144/144 medical facilities in the city have implemented health insurance-covered medical examinations and treatments using ID cards, chip-embedded citizen ID cards, and the VNeID application, achieving a 100% rate. This eliminates the need for people to carry paper health insurance cards, significantly reducing administrative procedures and waiting times.

In particular, 27 out of 29 public medical facilities with inpatient beds under the Department of Health have implemented electronic medical records (the remaining 2 units are subject to dissolution). In addition, 7 out of 13 private medical facilities and 2 out of 2 medical facilities under the Ministry of National Defense located in the area have also joined this trend.

Dr. Phan Van Huyen, Director of Long Khanh Regional General Hospital - the first unit in Dong Nai city to implement electronic medical records - shared: "The transition from paper to digital records not only improves management efficiency but also contributes to reducing professional errors, supporting accurate treatment, and facilitating data exchange between different levels of healthcare. Digital transformation in healthcare is an inevitable path to improving service quality, optimizing resources, and moving towards a people-centered healthcare system. The more convenient it is for people, the greater the value of digital transformation."

In addition to electronic medical records, 11 smart medical kiosk systems have also been installed at healthcare facilities in the area, allowing people to register for examinations and make payments quickly using their ID cards or chip-embedded citizen identification cards. These changes are the clearest manifestation of a modern city. It is technology serving people, reducing inconvenience and enhancing positive experiences for citizens.

“A livable city needs not only good hospitals but also the ability to predict epidemics early, manage public health electronically, and connect data with insurance, residents, and national platforms. This is also the direction that Dong Nai's health sector is pursuing through the OurHealth system (telehealth platform), LGSP (integrated data sharing platform at the ministerial, sectoral, and provincial/city levels), NDXP (national integrated data sharing platform), and the dedicated data transmission network (CPNET).”
Dr. Le Quang Trung, Specialist II, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health

Smart healthcare operations center - the "digital brain" of a healthy city.

In Dong Nai City's development strategy, the smart healthcare operations center is considered a crucial step forward. According to the Department of Health's plan, this system will connect with the Dong Nai City Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) to monitor disease outbreaks, track bed occupancy, staffing, medications, and medical supplies in real time. This will support leaders in making faster and more accurate decisions.

This means that in the future, healthcare governance will no longer rely primarily on traditional administrative reports but on dynamic, hourly, and daily data. This is a core element for Dong Nai to build a healthy urban model, where public health is proactively managed.

Besides higher-level hospitals, Dong Nai identifies grassroots healthcare as the foundation of a livable city. A developed city cannot allow people to only seek medical attention when they are seriously ill; healthcare needs to be available within the community.

Commune and ward health stations are gradually transforming from an administrative model to a modern primary healthcare model. This includes electronic health record management, disease prevention, immunization, chronic disease management, maternal and child care, and nutritional counseling. This network acts as a "soft shield" protecting urban areas from disease outbreaks, reducing the burden on hospitals, and helping people access high-quality services near their homes. It also contributes to equity in healthcare – an indispensable criterion for a livable city.

Despite achieving many positive results, the digital transformation of healthcare and the development of a smart and modern healthcare system are facing certain difficulties. These include an inconsistent information technology infrastructure, a shortage of specialized IT personnel, scattered data, significant information security challenges, and policies that have not kept pace with reality. To address these bottlenecks, Deputy Director of the Department of Health Le Quang Trung proposed that the City People's Committee continue to allocate resources and funding to invest in digital infrastructure, data centers, information technology equipment, and shared platforms for the healthcare sector. In addition, he suggested creating favorable conditions for outsourcing IT services, maintaining system operations, and deploying shared digital platforms.

The leaders of the Department of Health also recommended that the People's Committee of Dong Nai City propose to the Central Government and the Ministry of Health to finalize mechanisms, policies, technical standards, and professional guidelines on digital transformation in healthcare, electronic medical records, electronic health records, and the interconnection of healthcare data. At the same time, they requested the early research and issuance of guidelines on calculating the costs of applying information technology and digital transformation into the pricing structure of medical examination and treatment services.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202605/y-te-hien-dai-diem-tua-cho-do-thi-dang-song-c00036f/