VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Health needs more time to ease the heavy overload at centrally-run hospitals despite recent improvements, says Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

Addressing the current National Assembly session, Minister Tien (first left) confirms that hospital overload cannot be addressed overnight.

Addressing the local media on May 27, Tien confirmed that the ministry has built and expanded a number of well-equipped hospitals around big cities to shoulder the burden with current big hospitals.

Among them were the newly-built Tan Trieu Cancer Hospital and Thanh Tri Endocrinology Hospital in the suburban areas of Hanoi. Bach Mai hospital, the largest general hospital in the north, has been enlarged to accommodate more patients.

“We are building a network of satellite hospitals in Hanoi, HCM City and some other provinces specializing in injuries, cardio-vascular disease, tumour, obstetrics and paediatrics,” Tien said.

Technology transfer will be made to ensure the province-based hospitals can treat infectious and life-threatening illnesses as leading specialised medical centres such as Bach Mai and Vietnam-Germany hospitals do.

“It takes the medical sector at least three years to build such a hospital,” said Tien.

As a rule, once these satellite hospitals are operational, their patients will not be allowed to be transferred automatically to centrally-run hospitals, she added.  

Tien confirmed that centrally-run hospitals will also be extended and upgraded to meet the increasing demand of patients.

She pointed to the fact that after Liberation Day, Hanoi has only built two hospitals (Thanh Nhan and Paediatrics), making it impossible to serve the capital’s population which has already doubled over the years.

The number of hospital beds per 1,000 patients in Vietnam is just 22.5 compared to 40-80-120 in other countries in the region and the world.

In a report to the current session of the National Assembly, voters expressed their deep concerns about the serious overload at hospitals in big cities, asking the State to increase investments in medical services.

Minister Tien shared voter sympathy, but said resolving this thorny problem is the duty of the entire political system, not the medical sector itself.

“The Ministry of Health cannot afford to build new hospitals and purchase new equipment, while annual allocated budget is cut and medical services costs have not increased for the past 17 years.   

“Recently the ministry was allowed to hike four out of its seven direct costs, not taking into account asset depreciation, staff salaries, and capital construction investment.

 “To improve the quality of services, most hospitals spend their revenue refurbishing facilities and applying e-treatment services, making it convenient for patients in hospitals".

In an effort to address hospital load, the Ministry of Health is pinning high hopes on a pilot project on family care medical services, which will be implemented in seven provinces and cities.

Source: VOV