Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng hands a gift to Associate Professor Dr Đào Xuân Cơ, director of Bạch Mai Hospital, during his visit to the Ninh Bình campus of Bạch Mai General Hospital on July 9. — Photo SKDS

NINH BÌNH —Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng visited the Ninh Bình campus of Bạch Mai General Hospital on July 9, just 12 days after it opened in Ninh Bình Province.

Speaking at the working session, Prime Minister Hưng confirmed that bringing the new facility into operation holds profound strategic significance.

“It represents a concrete step in implementing the policies of the Party and the Government, aiming to enhance tertiary-level healthcare capacity and minimise patient overcrowding in Hà Nội,” he said.

"For the country to develop rapidly and sustainably, its people must be healthy, knowledgeable and skilled; crucially, they must be cared for by a healthcare system that is modern, equitable, efficient, sustainable and accessible."

The PM also praised the medical staff working at the facility for their efforts in caring for and supporting the large number of people visiting the new campus for medical examinations.

Hưng expressed his confidence that the hospital's Ninh Bình facility would continue to develop, remaining a place where patients entrust their lives to its doctors and staff.

He also directed the Ministry of Health to continue removing regulatory obstacles and create optimal conditions for Bạch Mai Hospital to exercise greater autonomy and modernise its management practices.

The hospital should focus its investment on key specialities, accelerate comprehensive digital transformation and enhance patient safety in accordance with international standards, Hưng said.

Alongside its clinical operations, the Ninh Bình facility is expected to serve as a hub for training, technical transfer and quality improvement across the healthcare network of the southern Red River Delta region.

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng visits a patient at the Ninh Bình campus of Bạch Mai General Hospital on July 9. — Photo SKDS

Visiting the facility's wards, the PM went to each bedside to offer words of encouragement and present meaningful gifts to the patients undergoing treatment.

He urged them to maintain a positive spirit and place their full trust in the medical team's expertise, ensuring effective cooperation in their treatment.

Patients also said that the Ninh Bình facility's opening has eliminated the need to travel to Hà Nội for consultations with doctors at Bạch Mai Hospital.

Bringing high-quality medical services closer to the people

Bạch Mai Hospital Director and Associate Professor Dr Đào Xuân Cơ said that the launch of the Ninh Bình facility marked a breakthrough step toward realising the 'Two Facilities – One Hospital – One Professional Standard' model.

“In less than two weeks, the model has demonstrated its exceptional merit by bringing the full professional capabilities of a special-class general hospital directly to the service of the population in the southern Red River Delta region,” Dr Cơ said.

“With twice the floor area of ​​the Hà Nội facility but only one quarter of the patient volume, the 1,000-bed facility offers an airy treatment environment, avoiding the overcrowding seen at the Hà Nội site. Several departments at this second facility currently have high numbers of inpatients, including surgery, cardiology and neurology."

Several patients have already received cardiovascular interventions and emergency care for strokes and heart attacks from the medical team at the Ninh Bình campus.

Associate Professor Dr Đào Xuân Cơ, director of Bạch Mai Hospital, reports to Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan on the operational results of the new Ninh Binh facility. — Photo SKDS

“The satisfaction and trust of the public serve as the most accurate testament to the effectiveness of the new facility," Dr Cơ said.

He noted that to operate the large new facility, Bạch Mai Hospital has deployed 1,300 experienced and highly specialised professors, doctors, nurses, technicians and logistics staff to Ninh Bình.

In just 12 days, the facility has handled 27,598 outpatient visits, averaging over 2,300 per day. Peak days saw patient visits surge to nearly 3,000 visits, the new campus reported.

Along with outpatient operations, the paraclinical services system had to ramp up to full capacity to ensure rapid and accurate diagnoses.

This includes processing 204,098 test samples and performing 24,116 ultrasound scans alongside 17,637 advanced diagnostic imaging procedures, such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs.

For inpatients, bed capacity was immediately optimised, reaching an occupancy rate of over 100 per cent. A total of 2,434 patients were admitted for treatment, with the facility currently caring for 1,005 inpatients.

Front line emergency response capabilities have also been taken advantage of, as the surgical intervention team successfully performed 395 surgeries, including 98 critical emergency procedures, accounting for 25 per cent of the total.

Dr Cơ added that, going beyond its role in medical care and treatment, the hospital’s Ninh Bình facility aims to become a centre for training high-quality medical personnel for the entire country.

Major medical universities, such as Hanoi Medical University, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Thái Bình University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Nam Dinh University of Nursing, have already registered to send students and resident physicians there for clinical training, according to the director.

Full digitisation in management has also created an invaluable centralised big data repository for Bạch Mai Hospital. This data source not only optimises financial and professional management but also serves as a core foundation for conducting large-scale scientific research and training AI models for applications in precision medicine.

Bạch Mai Hospital’s current operational model is based on a principle of absolute integration: two campuses sharing a single management structure, financial platform and set of professional and technical quality standards.

"There is only one Bạch Mai," Dr Cơ confirmed.

This interconnected system offers maximum convenience for patients. Those currently undergoing treatment in Hà Nội who wish to transfer to a facility closer to their homes for easier care can have their inpatient placement shifted to Ninh Bình without having to go through cumbersome procedures, according to Dr Cơ.

The director said that with its spacious grounds and modern equipment, the hospital will soon step up the development of its traditional medicine services as well. It aims to promote the integration of traditional and modern medicine to enhance the quality of healthcare services for the public.

Bạch Mai Hospital’s new facility is also situated within a heritage area that boasts numerous sites for both sightseeing and spiritual tourism.

“In line with the policy of promoting the integration of healthcare and tourism, we will accelerate the development of medical tourism, aiming to attract international patients for medical treatment combined with sightseeing and visits to scenic and spiritual sites in Ninh Bình Province,” Dr Cơ said. — VNS