HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City's districts haveshared knowledge about advanced medical techniques in an aim to offer treatmentnormally provided to patients admitted to city-level or central-levelhospitals, under requirements of the city’s Department of Health.

The mutual assistance among district-level hospitals has helped reduce thenumber of patients at city- and central-level managed hospitals.

Doctors at District 7 Hospital, for instance, performed their first heartpacemaker implant and laparoscopic surgery thanks to technical assistance from ThuDuc District Hospital.

On May 16, doctors at the two hospitals performed two laparoscopic surgeries toremove an ovarian tumour from a 26-year-old woman and take out a gallbladderfrom a 46-year-old woman.

The patients have been discharged from the hospital and are in good condition.

During the surgeries, doctors at Thu Duc District Hospital provided detailedguidance to doctors at District 7 Hospital.

This kind of surgery helps patients shorten their time in the hospital andprovides other benefits compared to open surgeries.

Doctors at District 7 Hospital also recently performed a heart pacemakerimplant on a 50-year-old patient with a slow heart rhythm.

The temporary implant helped to speed up her heart rhythm, and two days latershe was transferred to Thu Duc District Hospital for a permanent heart implant.

Dr Nguyen Tien Nhan of Thu Duc District Hospital said the cooperation amonghospitals had improved treatment for patients with severe health problems.  

Thu Duc District Hospital has been instructed to provide comprehensiveassistance, including operations, logistics, emergency treatment, dialysis andgeneral surgery, to doctors at District 7 Hospital.

Thu Duc has sent doctors and nurses to District 7 Hospital for assistance.

Thanks to the help, patients living in District 7 who needed dialysis were ableto return to District 7 hospital, even after stopping treatment for twoyears.  

For many years, District 7 Hospital had poor facilities, could not attract manydoctors, and had to transfer patients to other hospitals in the city fortreatment.

In obstetrics and paediatrics, District 7 Hospital has also received assistancefrom Tu Du Hospital and Paediatrics Hospital 2.

Dr Tran Van Khanh, director of the District 2 Hospital, said his hospital hadprovided technical assistance to Nha Be and 12 District hospitals.

Nha Be District Hospital and doctors from District 2 Hospital work with andtrain other doctors in anesthesia-resuscitation, obstetrics, general surgery,and other areas.

District 2 Hospital has also presented vital medical equipment for diagnosisand surgery to Nha Be District Hospital.

In addition, Nha Be District Hospital has received guidance on IT applicationin health examination and treatment and quality improvement. 

Dr Tang Chi Thuong, deputy head of the city Department of Health, said thecity’s People’s Committee had allocated funds to upgrade several district-levelhospitals such as District 7 Hospital and Nha Be District Hospital.

In the city, several district-level hospitals such as Thu Duc, District 2,District 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu and Binh Chanh are now attracting many localpatients.

District 11 Hospital, for example, treated 431,757 patients in 2018, anincrease of 18.55 percent compared to 2017. It also increased to 210 beds from120.

The rate of transfer of patients to other hospitals fell by 1.8 percent in2018.-VNS/VNA