Patients at the second facility of the HCM City Oncology Hospital. —VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City will upgrade old hospitals in former Bình Dương and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu provinces into new facilities of top-tier hospitals in the city, according to its Department of Health.

While major hospitals specialising in obstetrics and oncology in the city are often overloaded with a large number of patients from other provinces, many old hospitals in former Bình Dương and Bà Rịa- Vũng Tàu provinces are abandoned and seriously degraded.

The department proposed to allow specialised hospitals in obstetrics and gynecology such as Từ Dũ Hospital or Hùng Vương Hospital to establish a second facility at the former Lê Lợi Hospital, and the Oncology Hospital to establish its third facility at the former Bà Rịa Hospital.

Từ Dũ Hospital receives more than one million female patients each year, of which around 60 per cent are from other cities and provinces.

The number of patients visiting HCM City Oncology Hospital is on the rise, said Diệp Bảo Tuấn, director of the hospital.

It is expected that in 2025 the number of patients will increase by about 20 per cent compared to 2024, he said.

In 2024, around 880,000 patients were admitted to the hospital, up 12 per cent year-on-year, with patients coming from provinces and cities accounting for 84 per cent.

The opening of a new facility of the Oncology Hospital in Bà Rịa is vital to meeting the demand for medical treatment of locals in neighboring provinces and easing overcrowding at the two facilities of the hospital, he said.

The department also proposed to allow Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital to set up a second facility at Bình Dương Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Hospital and the Mental Hospital to set up a fourth facility at the Mental Hospital in Bình Dương.

Tăng Chí Thượng, director of the department, said that the proposals will allow leading hospitals to expand their operations. With their reputations, the new facilities will quickly attract locals to get medical examinations and treatment.

Over the years, the models of satellite hospitals, clinics and departments have transferred techniques and provided professional training and support to lower level hospitals, Thượng said. —VNS