HCM City (VNA) – The biggest success of the Ministry of Health's provincial 🉐hospital development project was narrowing the gap on quality of treatment between central and lower-level hospitals, a he♉alth official has said.

Doctor Tang Chi Thuong, Deputy Director of HCM City's Health Department said after two years doctors of satellite hospitals in the south have applied advanced medical techniques transferred by their colleagues of central hospitals. The technical transfer focuses on cardiology, oncology, exterior injuries, obstetrics and paediatrics. The number of patients being treated at satellite hospitals in 11 southern provinces and cities has been increased, reducing the burden of overload-patient on central hospitals. The project, approved by the Ministry of Health in 2013, aimed to reduce overloading at big hospitals. Fourteen central hospitals were chosen by the Ministry of Health as ‘core hospitals' responsible for transferring advanced medical techniques to 46 satellite hospitals across 38 provinces and cities in Vietnam. Can Tho city's Tumour Hospital was valued as one of the successfully implemented satellite hospitals in the south. It has so far applied 17 advanced medical techniques transferred by central hospitals, of which some techniques have never been used in provincial-level hospitals, including cervical cancer, laparoscopic surgery. The hospital's directorate said it has been attracting a considerable amount of people from neighbouring provinces, accounting for 67 percent of total patients. Tran Quoc Buu, 65, from Hau Giang southern province said he underwent rectum tumour removal surgery at Can Tho city's Tumour Hospital three months ago. After successful surgery, five days every week, he has arrived at the hospital by bus for treatment after surgery. "Accomodation and traveling expenditures are cut down," Buu said. "Doctors and health workers here treat patients kindly." Doctor Nguyen Quang Tien, Head of Surgery Faculty at Can Tho city's Paediatrics Hospital said his faculty was transferred eight medical techniques that created a big development for bone fracture-related surgeries. According to the Ministry of Health, over 250 advanced medical techniques have been transferred to satellite hospitals from central hospitals. Director of HCM City's Health Department, Nguyen Tan Binh said the satellite hospital development project has created a close co-ordination of patient management between lower-level and central hospitals. Doctor Duong Phong, Deputy Head of Traumatology at Tien Giang province's General Hospital said many of its patients after receiving first-aid were transferred to HCM City's Cho Ray Hospital for advanced treatment. After surgical operations with advanced techniques at the central hospital, they came back to Tien Giang province hospital for treatment after surgery via Cho Ray hospital's medical file. Telemedicine, in which telecommunications is used to provide remote healthcare, has been applied in skills training and joint medical consultations. Satellite hospitals' doctors can invite surgeons from central hospitals for emergency operations.-VNA