In the near future, people from Da Nang city to Ca Mau province will be better served in medical examination and treatment as many hospitals are planning to set up satellite units throughout southern Vietnam in an effort to ease patient overloading.

>> HCMC patient overloading to drop 50-70% by 2015>> Patient overloading to ease next year, minister says>> Ministry launches plan to ease patient overloading>> Patient overloading must be eliminated: PM Such satellite facilities will provide examination and treatment in the areas of oncology, heart, trauma, obstetrics and pediatrics, the sectors that have experienced serious patient overloading at large hospitals. Accordingly, 21 satellite hospitals will be set up in the region, including three in Can Tho city, three in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, two each in Lam Dong, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Tien Giang, and the remaining in other localities. In Ho Chi Minh City, the Oncology Hospital in District 1 expects to choose five hospitals in Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Kien Giang and Can Tho provinces as its satellite units. Such units are necessary since more than 70 percent of patients at the hospital come from other areas, said Dr Le Hoang Minh, director of the hospital. The Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital in Binh Thanh District is also planning to have four satellite hospitals in Lam Dong, Vung Tau, Binh Duong and Hau Giang. Similarly, the Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital will choose a number of hospitals in Tien Giang, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tay Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong, and Kon Tum.

A large number of patients waiting for examination and treatment at the Oncology Hospital in HCMC (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

This month Tu Du will begin providing technical assistance to its first satellite, the Tien Giang Obstetrics Hospital in Tien Giang province. The Pediatrics Hospital 1 also plans to set up affiliates in Can Tho, Tien Giang and Kien Giang, while Pediatrics Hospital 2 will choose hospitals in Ca Mau, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Ba-Ria-Vung Tau as its satellites. The satellite hospital model, which have been allowed by the Health Ministry, is developed for Southern Vietnam after two large hospitals in Hanoi – Bach Mai and Viet Duc – successfully implemented the model, improving treatment quality and reducing patient overloading. Bach Mai now has eight satellite hospitals in several northern provinces while Viet Duc has six units.