Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre on Côn Đảo Island. Photo HCM City Department of Health

HCM CITY — HCM City's health sector will take steps to enhance its medical capacity on Côn Đảo Island after the merger of HCM City and provinces of Bình Dương and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, according to the city’s Department of Health.

The department on Thursday held a meeting with leading medical experts to discuss measures to improve capacity for Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre on Côn Đảo Island.

The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tăng Chí Thượng, director of the department.

Despite being newly built and equipped with modern medical devices in recent years, a shortage of medical professionals has resulted in a long-standing concern about medical emergencies of locals, tourists and investors.

At the meeting, the department outlined a two-phase plan to improve the medical capacity on the island.

In the first phase, skilled doctors with specialities such as obstetrics, surgery, internal medicine, and paediatrics will be rotated to work at Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre while remote consultations and online continuous education for medical staff at Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre will also be implemented.

During this phase, starting in the third quarter, the focus will be capacity building for obstetrics, trauma, internal medicine, and pediatric emergency care to meet the common medical care needs of locals and visitors on the island.

In addition, the establishment of a blood bank to ensure safe emergency care in obstetrics, surgery and critical situations is also a priority.

In the second phase, the department will develop a project with strategic policies for health care services on the island and build a general hospital with the professional support of major hospitals in the city.

The department will soon organise a trip to Côn Đảo Island with the participation of leading experts to assess the situation and develop a suitable, feasible and sustainable implementation plan.

The city’s healthcare after the merger would not only expand geographically but also expand in service to bring quality treatment to the remote island, Thượng said. —VNS