The linen supply services system was implemented by Watakyu Seimoa Co., Ltd. — VNS Photo Hồng Linh

HCM CITY — A JICA project concluded on October 2 at Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital in HCM City, providing Japanese technology and equipment to improve the hygiene of linen supply services in public hospitals in Việt Nam.

The project is part of JICA's Japanese Enterprises Proposing Program (JEPP), implemented from April 2019 to January 2027.

It is funded by JICA and implemented by Kyoto Prefecture-based Watakyu Seimoa Co., Ltd at Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital in HCM City.

Under the project, JICA supplied and installed an automated laundry line featuring nine types of equipment at the hospital's Laundry Centre. This includes a multi-purpose ironer, tumble dryers and washing machines, along with linen products such as surgical gowns and patient clothing.

Murata Kiyokazu, president and representative director of Watakyu Seimoa Co., Ltd, said the equipment was installed and the linen supplies were handed over to the hospital in April last year. In June of that year, the company also held training programmes for the hospital's leaders and staff.

The equipment and linen, combined with disinfection technology and a Radio Frequency Identification management system that tracks each item's usage, have helped improve hygiene and create a safer environment for the hospital's patients and medical staff.

Trần Văn Khanh, director of Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital, said that since official operations began on June 11, the project has provided the hospital with a method to run its linen services based on Japanese technology, processes and management practices.

He noted that the project improved the hospital's quality of linen processing, supply and management procedures, with 72.6 tonnes handled in more than 3,170 wash batches.

Based on these results, Khanh said the model serves as a useful reference for studying potential replication at other suitable medical facilities.

Nguyễn Hoài Nam, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Health, said the city is developing a modern, smart and internationally integrated healthcare system, with a strong demand for cooperation in hospital management, infection control, digital transformation, medical equipment, workforce training and elderly care.

Nam hoped that JICA, Watakyu Seimoa Co., Ltd and other Japanese organisations would continue to work with the city's health sector in areas where Japan has strengths and the city has practical needs. — VNS