Hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have faced prolonged overload due to a recent influx of patients from other provinces.
At present, the city’s hospitals have more than 33,000 beds. Every year, they provide services to more than 31 million people, including 1.4 million long-term patients.
On average, ill people from other provinces account for up to 40% of the total patients in the city, causing a burden for the municipal health sector.
Ho Chi Minh City Tumour Hospital is a clear example. Currently, the 630-bed hospital is treating about 12,000 patients (including 1,700 long-term patients), 70% of whom are from other localities.
A satellite tumour clinic with 150 beds has been set up in the General Hospital of District 2, slightly improving the situation by reducing the overload of the hospital by 10-15%.
According to Doctor Le Hoang Minh, Director of the hospital, 100 doctors, nurses and staff have been sent to the clinic so that it can operate independently.
The city has built a series of satellite clinics of key hospitals in various districts. In 2012, 17 central hospitals in the city were allowed to open 48 clinics within 12 local hospitals in districts and wards.
Meanwhile, high technologies have also been transferred to smaller-scale hospitals to enhance their service quality, reducing pressure on central hospitals by 70-90%.
The family doctor model is also another effective way to ease tension for the city’s health sector. Since it was introduced in 2002, the model has been carried out in 10 district hospitals, providing services for 200-300 patients every day.
Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Vice Director of the municipal Health Department says the city will work to provide all healthcare stations in wards and communes with both necessary equipment and personnel to build the model by 2015.
Currently, the model has been implemented at 19 out of the 23 district hospitals, while 91 out of the 102 healthcare stations in wards and communes have registered to apply the model, he said.
At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City has also deployed a number of administrative measures to ease overload for central hospitals, added Thuong.
Notably, the application of information technology in the process of receiving patients has proved its efficiency. Today, patients have to wait a maximum 30 minutes to register for services instead of 2-3 hours in the past, he noted.
Adjustments in operating schedules have also reduced waiting time for patients. Many hospitals now serve patients from 6am, while others remain open over lunch time.
In 2013, the department also started implementing a proposal to send doctors to local hospitals alternately. Accordingly, every doctor, nurse and technicians has to serve in local healthcare facilities for a period of at least one year.
An initial 40 staff have been sent to six district hospitals facing difficulties in personnel.
Thuong asserted that efforts by the city in reducing the overload for central hospitals are moving in the right direction. He expressed his belief that once the new healthcare facilities become operational in the next several years, coupled with the current efforts, the situation will be improved in an absolute manner.
