HCM CITY — HCM City has begun construction of new facilities at the city’s Heart Institute on July 24 in an effort to cope with overcrowding.

The new facility at the Heart Institute will have five floors and one basement, with total area of 4,600sq.m worth nearly VNĐ80 billion (US$3.5million). It will be completed in 2020.

Dr Đỗ Quang Huân, director of the Heart Institute, said that from 2010 to 2014, the number of patients increased by 160 per cent.

During some periods, more than 10,000 people had to wait for surgery, while the institute only served about 1,200 patients per year.

About 1,000 patients have been visiting the hospital daily.

The hospital has been operating for more than 20 years, and its old facilities cannot serve patients adequately.

The upgrade is part of a broader city plan to have professional treatment offered at certain hospitals, and a network of hospitals providing primary healthcare services by 2020.

The HCM City Department of Health will also upgrade hospitals specialising in cardiac treatment.

These include Chợ Rẫy Hospital, University Medical Centre, Thủ Đức District Hospital, People’s Hospital 115, Gia Định People’s Hospital, Trưng Vương Hospital and Tâm Đức Heart Hospital.

Specialised treatment will attract domestic and foreign patients to the city for health examination and treatment, according to the health department.

The services will also reduce the number of Vietnamese patients going overseas for treatment.

The city has 114 public and private hospitals, 318 health stations, 196 private general health clinics, and nearly 6,000 private specialised health clinics.

A network of 25 satellite stations under the City Emergency Aid Centre has improved effectiveness in first aid and emergency aid for patients and accident victims.

The number of patients visiting hospitals in the city rose last year to more than 42 million, accounting for 26.2 per cent of the country’s total number. — VNS