HCM City (VNA) – President Vo VanThuong on February 22 visited the Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City onthe occasion of Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27).

The State leader lauded achievements recorded by thehospital, which is striving to be listed in the top five children’s hospitalsin Southeast Asia.  

Given the rapid developments of childhood diseases,including emerging ones, the hospital’s doctors and nurses have put in placeappropriate health care models, he said, stressing its mortality rate droppedto 0.3% last year from about 1.4% in 2005.

Its progress has been recognised by the internationaland domestic medical communities, President Thuong said, taking the example of the first prenatalheart surgeries in Southeast Asia conducted in the hospital.

However, such statistics are not enough todemonstrate the mettle and good professional skills of the hospital’s doctors,as well as their dedication to child patients, he noted.

The President suggested the hospital expandinternational cooperation, better the management work, and maximisescientific-technological advances in both management and treatment.

The hospital should further guide and supportlower-level medical facilities in handling difficult cases, thus contributingto easing hospital overload at the higher levels, President Thuong said.
 
He also asked municipal authorities to improve theliving standards of the hospital’s staff, upgrade its infrastructure, and paymore attention to personnel training.

With 1,768 officials and health workers and a bed capacity of1,500 each day, the hospital serves up to about 5,000 patients during peakperiods./.