Dong Nai plans to build specialized centers

The goal is to improve diagnostic and treatment capacity, develop advanced technology, reduce referrals and attract patients in the region.

A series of specialized centers will be established.

At the working session with leaders of departments and branches on a number of contents related to the health sector chaired by Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Le Truong Son on the afternoon of October 22, Specialist II Doctor Do Thi Nguyen, Director of the Department of Health said: According to Decision No. 586/QD-TTg dated July 3, 2024 and Decision No. 1489/QD-TTg dated November 24, 2023 of the Prime Minister approving the Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the health sector has also planned a plan to develop specialized centers by 2030. The purpose is to meet and improve the treatment capacity of doctors.

Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Le Truong Son chaired a working session with leaders of departments and branches on a number of issues related to the health sector, including the establishment of specialized units. Photo: Bich Nhan

Accordingly, the Department of Health has assigned Dong Nai General Hospital to develop a project to establish centers for: ear, nose and throat; cardiovascular, and oncology. In addition, by 2030, the health sector will establish specialized public centers such as: 115 emergency, testing, tropical diseases, nephrology, obstetrics and pediatrics.

In particular, the obstetrics and pediatrics center will prioritize investment in the Northwest of the province under Binh Phuoc General Hospital, Dong Xoai Medical Center or located at Dong Nai Children's Hospital... The reason is that these units already have available resources, do not increase administrative apparatus, are not under investment pressure, so they can be put into operation immediately in 2026. In addition, non-public specialized centers such as: infertility, nutrition, nursing homes and elderly health care... will also plan to deploy.

A delegation from the Central Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital recently visited and worked at Dong Nai General Hospital. Photo: My Linh

Among the specialized centers, many centers will be under Dong Nai General Hospital and Thong Nhat General Hospital because both of these hospitals are large in scale, have invested in facilities and equipment, and have highly qualified human resources.

Specialist II Doctor Ngo Duc Tuan, Director of Dong Nai General Hospital, said: The land belonging to Dong Nai General Hospital is still vacant, so the construction of facilities to serve the centers will be more convenient.

The hospital has a planned capacity of 1,150 beds (actually 1,250 beds), receives over 900,000 outpatient visits/year and over 200 emergency cases/day. The bed occupancy rate is always over 100% and is often overloaded. As a Grade I general hospital, the leading hospital in the province, Dong Nai General Hospital is responsible for medical examination, treatment, training, scientific research and direction.

“The establishment of centers will help reduce the burden on hospitals, especially when located within the hospital campus, it will take advantage of the available equipment of related paraclinical departments. At the same time, these centers will improve the capacity for specialized diagnosis and treatment, develop advanced technology, and move towards financial autonomy and special-class hospitals,” Dr. Ngo Duc Tuan shared.

Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Le Truong Son received a working delegation from the Central Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital at Dong Nai General Hospital recently. Photo: My Linh

Agreeing with this plan, specialist doctor II Le Quang Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, emphasized: The establishment of specialized centers is an inevitable requirement. But these centers are located next to other centers such as: diagnostic imaging, emergency... to both take advantage of "resources" and concentrate human resources. The centers must be linked together to promote their strengths, so it is necessary to carefully calculate the location for construction.

Need to carefully calculate the deployment of specialized centers

Regarding the obstetrics and pediatrics center planned to be located at Binh Phuoc General Hospital, Dong Xoai Medical Center or Dong Nai Children's Hospital, Dr. Le Quang Trung said: All hospitals have obstetrics departments with large disease sources, therefore, when this center is formed, the obstetrics departments of the hospitals will have to be removed to form the center.

“The establishment of specialized centers is necessary, but we must pilot each field and specialty before expanding the model. Because building these centers requires a large amount of funding to invest and attract human resources, especially experts,” Dr. Trung said.

Director of the Department of Health Do Thi Nguyen said: Currently, the health sector is still facing difficulties in human resources, lacking highly qualified and specialized doctors to deploy and develop specialized techniques in the units. The main reason is that Dong Nai still lacks special and outstanding policies to attract and offer incentives to medical staff directly working in specialized fields at hospitals and at grassroots health facilities, preventive health facilities, especially attracting good doctors to difficult, remote and border areas, and providing specialized training on-site.
The Department of Health also proposed that the Provincial People's Committee consider and submit to the Provincial People's Council for early promulgation of specific mechanisms and policies to attract high-quality medical human resources, especially specialized doctors and leading experts... to establish specialized centers.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Nghia, Deputy Director of Dong Nai Children's Hospital, further analyzed: The hospital has been built for more than 20 years on an area of only 4 hectares. The hospital is designed for 500 beds but currently has 700 inpatients and 2,000 outpatients per day. Therefore, the establishment of a maternity and pediatric center at the hospital still cannot meet the needs in terms of both human resources and facilities.

Furthermore, the hospital has developed in the direction of specializing in pediatrics to treat many difficult cases that require the use of high technology, reducing the number of referrals so that patients do not have to travel far for examination and treatment.

The facilities at Dong Nai Children's Hospital cannot meet the needs of establishing a maternity and pediatric center. Photo: Bich Nhan

Specialist II Doctor Dinh Cao Minh, Deputy Director of Dong Nai General Hospital, said: Establishing a center requires many departments such as: examination, resuscitation, inpatient treatment... This model is almost a "miniature" hospital in a large hospital. Each center needs 300-400 beds, so the investment in construction and equipment is quite large.

Member of the Provincial Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Le Truong Son emphasized: The Provincial People's Committee supports the establishment of specialized centers at hospitals. But first, the health sector must pilot and activate the establishment of the first and early ENT center at Dong Nai General Hospital, and at the same time, prepare documents to deploy centers: cardiovascular, oncology...

After this center is put into operation, the health sector must closely follow the practice and learn from experience to expand the next centers. In addition, the Department of Health needs to conduct a survey at Thong Nhat General Hospital to establish a kidney and urinary center; nursing homes and health care for the elderly also need to be calculated to meet the needs of the people.

Bich Nhan

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/y-te/202510/dong-nai-len-ke-hoach-xay-dung-cac-trung-tam-chuyen-sau-8752d3d/