Residents in Cần Giờ area receive medical examination and treatment at Từ Dũ Hospital’s second facility. —VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City will open second and third facilities of top-tier hospitals in outlying areas to reduce overcrowding at major facilities in the coming years, according to the city’s Department of Health.

The move aims to enhance operational efficiency of the city's healthcare system and promote access to healthcare services for all citizens.

The city began deploying second and third facilities of top-tier hospitals in outlying areas in late 2025.

Từ Dũ Hospital, one of the city’s leading specialised tertiary facilities, launched its second facility in Cần Giờ District in late 2025.

The new facility has already performed complex surgical procedures successfully.

For years, residents of Cần Giờ District had to travel long distances into central HCM City to access specialised medical services.

Dr. Trần Ngọc Hải, director of Từ Dũ Hospital, emphasised that the hospital’s second facility in Cần Giờ District reduces the need for hospital transfers.

This saves considerable travel time and expense, particularly for pregnant women, children, and patients requiring specialised treatment, Hải said.

Alongside medical teams from Từ Dũ Hospital, doctors from various general and specialised hospitals across the city are regularly rotated and assigned on temporary duty.

Following one-year implementation of implementing a rotating specialist doctor programme in Côn Đảo, the city’s health sector is preparing to establish a tertiary-level general hospital to provide medical care for local residents and tourists on the island.  

Tăng Chí Thượng, director of the HCM City Department of Health, said the city Health Department advised the city People’s Committee on a plan to merge the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre into People’s Hospital 115 as its second facility.

Doctors at the second facility can conduct remote consultations with experts at the main facility and other top-tier specialised hospitals in the city, Thượng said.

“The goal is to ensure Côn Đảo residents receive better care right on the island. Treatable conditions will be managed locally, while severe cases will be treated or transferred to the mainland safely when necessary,” he said.

In addition to opening facilities of top-tier hospitals, HCM City is strengthening doctor rotations, inter-regional technical assistance, and expanding satellite emergency station networks to boost technology transfer from specialised hospitals to grassroots healthcare facilities. 

The department is proposing the establishment of additional branches for hospitals such as Từ Dũ Hospital, Hùng Vương Hospital, the Oncology Hospital, and the Psychiatric Hospital in Bình Dương and Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu areas. — VNS