A delegation of the HCM City Department of Health, medical experts and leaders of medical universities led by Deputy Secretary of the city Party Committee Nguyễn Phước Lộc at a working trip to Côn Đảo Special Zone on July 16. Photo courtesy of the HCM City Department of Health

HCM CITY — HCM City’s health sector will focus on efforts to foster specialised healthcare in the Côn Đảo Special Zone, a city leader said.

In the Côn Đảo Special Zone, there is currently only a 60-bed Military-Civilian Medical Centre that was inaugurated in April.

The centre performs both preventive medicine and medical examination and treatment functions and offers medical examination and treatment for islanders, officers and soldiers as well as tourists and fishermen from other localities.

It receives and treats more than 26,000 out-patients and performs 170-200 surgeries a year.

A severe shortage of healthcare professionals and emergency medical transportation from the island to the mainland are among challenges that hinder the development of specialised healthcare on the island, especially in the fields of pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery.

A delegation of the city Department of Health, medical experts and leaders of medical universities led by Deputy Secretary of the city Party Committee Nguyễn Phước Lộc had a survey and working trip to Côn Đảo Special Zone on July 16.

The working trip was aimed at assessing the current situation, the development of the healthcare system on Côn Đảo, its strategic position in terms of defense and security, and its potential for eco-tourism development.

The development of healthcare in Côn Đảo is not only for the welfare of the island’s residents but is also a strategic task of the expanded HCM City after its merger with Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Bình Dương provinces, said Lộc.

He requested the Department of Health to promptly complete a project to improve the healthcare capacity of Côn Đảo as a foundation for the city People’s Committee to allocate resources for implementation.

During the trip, health experts discussed a number of measures to develop specialised healthcare on the island such as the implementation of on-site and online training for medical staff on the island and the deployment of specialised and skilled doctors to work on the island.

They agreed that the upgrading of the Military-Civilian Medical Centre to a general hospital is a strategic direction, ensuring the capacity for medical examination and treatment, emergency care, public health management and response to emergency situations on the remote island.

They said that preferential policies to attract doctors to work in Côn Đảo also played a vital role to improve the quality of healthcare on the island.

Regarding the rotation of specialists to the island, leading hospitals such as Hùng Vương, Children Hospital 1, Bình Dân, Nhân Dân 115, Nhân Dân Gia Định, Trauma and Orthopedics have committed to supporting the rotation of doctors, conducting remote medical examination and consultation, and transferring techniques to medical staff at the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre.

The first rotation of doctors is expected to begin in early September this year.

HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Phạm Ngọc Thạch University of Medicine will support remote and continuous training and be ready to support on-site training of medical staff on the island.

Currently, Côn Đảo is home to around 14,000 permanent residents and welcomes more than 400,000 tourists a year. —VNS