Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan (centre) inspects medical facilities at the new campus of Việt Đức Friendship Hospital in Ninh Bình Province on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

NINH BÌNH – The Ninh Bình campus of Việt Đức Friendship Hospital is scheduled to officially begin operations on Thursday, marking an important step towards easing the workload for four surgical departments in Hà Nội-based main facility.

Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan visited the campus and inspected its preparations on Tuesday afternoon.

The inspection team reviewed the hospital’s outpatient clinics, emergency department, operating rooms, intensive care unit (ICU), diagnostic imaging and laboratory departments, as well as medical equipment, technical infrastructure and staffing arrangements to ensure it is fully prepared to receive patients.

The campus will be launched in two phases. The first will open on Thursday with 300 inpatient beds and more than 400 doctors and healthcare professionals transferred from the Hà Nội campus.

The focus of this phase will be on the four surgical departments currently overcrowded in the Hà Nội campus, which are trauma, spinal trauma surgery, neurosurgery (including rehabilitation), and gastrointestinal surgery.

By the end of 2027, the hospital is expected to expand to its full capacity of 1,000 beds, and further if demand for medical services grows more rapidly than anticipated.

According to Associate Professor, Dr Dương Đức Hùng, director of Việt Đức Friendship Hospital campus in Ninh Bình, the hospital has spent several years training staff to prepare for the new facility.

The hospital has also arranged transportation for staff, implemented rotational assignments for key personnel, and established 24/7 on-duty teams to ensure continuous and stable operations.

“With thorough personnel preparation, we are fully capable of operating a new campus with advanced medical technology effectively, which will improve the quality of healthcare services for the people,” he said.

Minister Lan instructed the hospital to continue refining its plans for medical examinations, treatment, emergency care and patient admissions.

She also emphasised the need to ensure sufficient staffing at triage areas, reception desks and patient guidance points, as well as reviewing bed allocation and patient care conditions to guarantee safe operations from the very first days.

While acknowledging the hospital’s proactive efforts in preparing its workforce, professional expertise and facilities, she called for a thorough review of all operational procedures, stressing that the hospital should place patients at the center of its services and meet the standards expected of a national central-level specialist hospital. — VNS