Local patients are now able to return to HCM City’s District 7 Hospital for dialysis thanks to technical assistance given to the hospital by Thủ Đức District Hospital. Photo courtesy of Thủ Đức District Hospital

The mutual assistance among district-level hospitals has helped reduce the number of patients at city- and central-level managed hospitals.

Doctors at District 7 Hospital, for instance, performed their first heart pacemaker implant and laparoscopic surgery thanks to technical assistance from Thủ Đức District Hospital.

On May 16, doctors at the two hospitals performed two laparoscopic surgeries to remove an ovarian tumour from a 26-year-old woman and take out a gallbladder from a 46-year-old woman.

The patients have been discharged from the hospital and are in good condition.

During the surgeries, doctors at Thủ Đức District Hospital provided detailed guidance to doctors at District 7 Hospital.

This kind of surgery helps patients shorten their time in the hospital and provides other benefits compared to open surgeries.

Doctors at District 7 Hospital also recently performed a heart pacemaker implant on a 50-year-old patient with a slow heart rhythm.

The temporary implant helped to speed up her heart rhythm, and two days later she was transferred to Thủ Đức District Hospital for a permanent heart implant.

Dr Nguyễn Tiến Nhân of Thủ Đức District Hospital said the co-operation among hospitals had improved treatment for patients with severe health problems.   

Thủ Đức District Hospital has been instructed to provide comprehensive assistance, including operations, logistics, emergency treatment, dialysis and general surgery, to doctors at District 7 Hospital.

Thủ Đức has sent doctors and nurses to District 7 Hospital for assistance.

Thanks to the help, patients living in District 7 who needed dialysis were able to return to District 7 hospital, even after stopping treatment for two years.   

For many years, District 7 Hospital had poor facilities, could not attract many doctors, and had to transfer patients to other hospitals in the city for treatment.

In obstetrics and paediatrics, District 7 Hospital has also received assistance from Từ Dũ Hospital and Paediatrics Hospital 2.

Dr Trần Văn Khanh, director of the District 2 Hospital, said his hospital had provided technical assistance to Nhà Bè and 12 District hospitals.

Nhà Bè District Hospital and doctors from District 2 Hospital work with and train other doctors in anesthesia-resuscitation, obstetrics, general surgery, and other areas.

District 2 Hospital has also presented vital medical equipment for diagnosis and surgery to Nhà Bè District Hospital.

In addition, Nhà Bè District Hospital has received guidance on IT application in health examination and treatment and quality improvement.  

Dr Tăng Chí Thượng, deputy head of the city Department of Health, said the city’s People’s Committee had allocated funds to upgrade several district-level hospitals such as District 7 Hospital and Nhà Bè District Hospital.

In the city, several district-level hospitals such as Thủ Đức, District 2, District 11, Gò Vấp, Tân Phú and Bình Chánh are now attracting many local patients.

District 11 Hospital, for example, treated 431,757 patients in 2018, an increase of 18.55 per cent compared to 2017. It also increased to 210 beds from 120.

The rate of transfer of patients to other hospitals fell by 1.8 per cent in 2018.—VNS