Hands joint to troubleshoot and develop medical sector in comprehensively modern approaches

Update: 22-02-2023 | 15:38:27

* To put 1,500-bed hospital in operation by year-end of 2023

Morning of February 21, the Standing Committee of Binh Duong provincial Party Committee held a conference to give opinions on the operation of the health sector and the results of the implementation of the guidelines and conclusions of the Standing Committee of the provincial Party Committee and the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee on the health sector. At the conference, Nguyen Van Loi - Member of the CPV Central Committee, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Head of the provincial National Assembly Delegation shared with the difficulties of the health sector and requested the provincial People's Committee and the political system to join hands to remove obstacles to bring the province's healthcare development to a new level.

All-sided challenges

In 2022, although the COVID-19 epidemic situation is still complicated and unpredictable, the province's health sector has strived to achieve many positive results. In particular, under the leadership of the Party Committee and the provincial People's Committee, the health sector has carried out 4 agendas related to the guidelines and conclusions of the Standing Committee of the provincial Party Committee and the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee including the conclusions of the Standing provincial Party Committee on the implementation of the 1,500-bed General Hospital project and the terminal hospital project.

At the meeting held on February 21, the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee presents flowers to congratulate the leaders of the health sector on the 68th anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors' Day (February 27, 1955 to February 27, 2023). Photo: Kim Ha

The local health sector encountered difficulties in procurement and equipment supply after the 1,500-bed General Hospital project was completed. Along with that, according to the announcement of the Government Office on the establishment of a tertiary general hospital in Binh Duong province, the provincial People's Committee has established a working group to monitor and advise on the implementation of the project of a terminal general hospital in the province. The hospital is expected to be located in the center of Lai Uyen town of Bau Bang district. The provincial People's Committee is preparing a project to establish a hospital and submit it to the competent authorities for comments and approval of the location of the construction of the 2,000-bed terminal general hospital.

In the process of implementing these guidelines and conclusions, the provincial health sector encountered great obstacles due to the medical staff with qualifications, skills, seniority, leave or move to private healthcare and lack of new nurses and midwives. The sector implements a self-financed mechanism, but medical service prices are slow to adjust not properly calculated and fully account for the constituent costs, leading to hospitals only guaranteeing salaries without additional income for medical staff and doctors. Bidding organization, procurement of medical equipment and supplies also faced many difficulties due to psychological apprehension while bidding documents were not clear and inappropriate. This situation has made it impossible for some procurement packages to purchase drugs, medical supplies and equipment, leading to a local shortage of drugs in some units.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong, Director of the Department of Health, said: “The problem of the shortage of nurses, midwives and technicians is becoming more and more serious not only in Binh Duong province but also in all provinces. Currently, the ratio of doctors to nurses in the province is only 1.2, very low compared to the nation. The sector has proposed to amend Resolution No. 05 of the provincial People's Council and redirect the order to train doctors to support and order nursing training. The Department of Health has registered to submit to the provincial People's Council a resolution on training for these subjects. However, the departments and branches have not reached consensus because the order conditions must be in accordance with the provisions of the laws. It is requested that the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee should propose the policy of supporting and ordering training for nurses, midwives and technicians.

1,500-bed General Hospital to operate from the end of the year

According to the provincial health sector leader, following the direction of the Standing provincial Party Committee, the Department of Health hired Mediconsult Company to set up a project to relocate the old General Hospital and operate the 1,500-bed General Hospital. However, when the construction progress was nearly completed, the company canceled it. Consulting companies were timid to accept the consulting projects for the health sector. The Department of Health has found another company to back the project, but the implementation progress is still slow. Currently, there is no document from the competent authority to decide on the plan to use the old provincial General Hospital facility on Pham Ngoc Thach Street, which causes problems in formulating plans for relocation, procurement, and regulations.

The 1,500-bed General Hospital is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2023. Photo: Quoc Chien

According to the report of the provincial Construction Project Management Board, the 1,500-bed General Hospital can be completed in early 2024. The project of procurement of medical equipment for the hospital approved by the provincial People's Committee in 2018 is currently underway with a total estimate of about VND 790 billion including medical equipment, furniture (hospital beds, patient cabinets, office equipment etc.) and information technology. The greatest challenge now is that the medical equipment in the 2018 estimate is outdated, changed in price, and some lists need to be adjusted because many equipments have been purchased and donated during the COVID-19 epidemic. The project consists of 3 completely different parts, but medical equipment is the hardest to procure. If we have to wait to buy enough equipment, it is impossible to determine the time to put the hospital into operation. The Department of Health has established a Science and Technology Council for the project of purchasing medical equipment to meet the hospital's needs. It is expected that by the end of February 2023, the Science and Technology Council will submit a list and configuration of equipment to be purchased.

Concluding the conference, Nguyen Van Loi shared with the current difficulties of the health sector, and emphasized that in the coming time and under the leadership of the Party Committee and the provincial People's Committee, the health sector needs to quickly put the 1,500-bed General Hospital into operation from the end of 2023; the project of "Overall development of the health sector in Binh Duong province to 2030, with a vision to 2050" should be fulfilled; obstacles in human resources for health sector should be removed; a smart hospital model is a must to resolutely implement the new Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, to rearrange public health facilities at district, town and city levels, and to conduct electronic and public and transparent auctions.

Reported by Kim Ha – Translated by Vi Bao

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Hands joint to troubleshoot and develop medical sector in comprehensively modern approaches

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