A dialogue conference between the HCM City government and healthcare businesses held on October 4. — VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Hằng

HCM CITY — HCM City is calling for more investment in its healthcare sector to soon become a medical hub of ASEAN, officials said at a conference on Friday.

The dialogue conference between the city government and healthcare businesses was organised by the city’s Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) in collaboration with the city’s Department of Health.

The city health authority had discussions with more 150 businesses in the field of healthcare.

Speaking at the dialogue, the city’s Health Department representative Võ Hoàng Nhân said that in the 2021-25 period, the city has 116 healthcare projects with investment capital of more than VNĐ23 trillion (US$925 million) sourced from the budget.

In recent years, many new hospitals have been built with modern equipment, helping to improve the city’s healthcare sector and meet public demand, he said.

In the 2026-30 period, the city expects to have 150 medical projects with total investment capital of more than VNĐ52 trillion ($2.1 billion).

"The city seeks to become a regional healthcare hub to reduce the number of people travelling abroad for medical care and boost medical tourism," he said.

To achieve this goal, it plans to form large medical clusters in Thủ Đức City and the districts of Bình Chánh and Cần Giờ.

At the conference, leaders from the city’s Department of Health and its specialised units gave feedback to business leaders.

Questions mainly focused on issues related to the procedures for issuing circulation licenses for medical equipment to regulations on drug price registration and adjustments, opening private clinics, registering to practice, and advertising activities.

Representatives from the city’s Department of Health not only addressed inquiries from businesses during the conference but also provided information regarding several investment projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) model within the health sector.

They offered a comprehensive explanation of the policies and legal frameworks governing specialised inspections related to advertising practices and unlawful activities in the aesthetics field in the city.

The health authority also provided guidance on obtaining preferential interest rate loans for health sector-related scientific research projects.

This event marked the 249th direct dialogue conference of the city government-business dialogue system. — VNS