Patients line up to register for medical examination and treatment at Bạch Mai Hospital's Ninh Bình campus. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tuấn

HÀ NỘI — At the age of 79, V.N.D., a resident of the northern province of Ninh Bình, had considered abandoning his cancer treatment.

Frail with age, he no longer had the strength to travel hundreds of kilometres from his hometown to the Hà Nội-based Bạch Mai Hospital after every round of chemotherapy.

That changed when the hospital’s newly inaugurated Ninh Bình campus opened its doors last Friday, allowing him to continue receiving treatment from leading specialists without leaving his home province.

D. was diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer, which had spread to his liver and lungs, in June 2025.

Now approaching his 80th birthday, he embarked on a long battle against the disease, undergoing chemotherapy at the hospital in Hà Nội.

The initial treatment regimen produced encouraging results, but as treatment progressed, the practical challenges beyond medical care became increasingly difficult to overcome.

Each chemotherapy cycle left him exhausted, nauseous and physically drained.

For an elderly patient, every journey from Ninh Bình to Hà Nội (about 95km) was arduous.

The financial burden of travel, accommodation and meals, coupled with the constant need for family members to accompany and care for him, added to the strain.

D.'s story is among the first examples illustrating the significance of the hospital's decision to bring its highly specialised departments, including the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology, to its Ninh Bình campus.

For many cancer patients, geographical distance can itself become a barrier to treatment.

When that distance is reduced, the opportunity to continue fighting the disease expands.

The move represents more than simply relocating healthcare services; it extends the reach of one of Việt Nam's leading tertiary hospitals, bringing advanced medical care closer to patients, easing the burden of treatment and preserving hope through greater accessibility.

On Friday in the oncology clinic of Bạch Mai Hospital's Ninh Bình campus, 70-year-old Trần Văn Nghiêm from the province's Hải Hưng Commune shared his experience.

Nghiêm said he had metastatic peritoneal mesothelioma, and was initially treated at the Nam Định Province General Hospital.

Because his condition exceeded the hospital's specialist capabilities, he then was referred to Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội for further treatment.

“Fortunately, the second campus had just opened in Ninh Bình Province, allowing me to receive cancer treatment here in my hometown,” he added.

Last Friday, he arrived at the hospital at 5.30am.

“The facilities are modern and the doctors are friendly and attentive. I'm delighted," he said.

One hospital, two campuses

Bạch Mai Hospital Director and Associate Professor Dr Đào Xuân Cơ said the objective of the 'One hospital, two campuses' model is to ensure patients receive the same standard of specialist care regardless of whether they are treated in Hà Nội or Ninh Bình.

The most important thing is that patients receive timely, continuous and more convenient treatment, he said.

“When people no longer have to travel long distances to access highly specialised medical services, we believe they will have a better chance of maintaining their treatment and improving their quality of life," Dr Cơ noted.

He added that the Ninh Bình campus is now fully prepared to begin operations, with a capacity of 1,000 beds, 21 clinical departments and six paraclinical departments. Built on a site covering more than 20ha, the hospital features modern infrastructure and facilities.

More than 1,300 staff members, civil servants and healthcare workers have been deployed from the Hà Nội campus to support operations, including numerous professors, associate professors, doctoral degree holders and leading medical specialists.

"More importantly, we are not establishing a separate new hospital,” he said.

Bạch Mai Hospital's Hà Nội and Ninh Binh campuses are operating as a single institution in terms of clinical expertise, governance, quality standards and service culture, according to the director.

The hospital is now ready to provide thousands of technical and clinical services across nearly every field of modern medicine, including emergency care, intensive care, cardiology, stroke treatment, respiratory medicine, oncology and a wide range of advanced diagnostic services.

At the same time, the entire hospital operates on the same integrated digital ecosystem as the Hà Nội campus.

"We have always believed that our mission is not to bring patients closer to Bạch Mai Hospital, but to bring the hospital closer to patients," Dr Cơ said. — VNS