Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung inaugurated the new facility of the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital on August 19, in Tan Trieu Commune in the suburban district of Thanh Tri in Hanoi.
The 1,000 bed Tan Trieu facility will be completed at a total cost of about VND1 trillion (US$47 million), over an area of 6.6 hectares. In its first phase, 300 beds will be put into service. Tan Trieu’s new facility will help reduce the overload in the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital, commonly known as Hospital K.
Speaking at the event, PM Dung asked the Ministry of Health to urgently complete all services at the new facility by 2013, as per schedule, so as to provide the best treatment for patients.
PM Dung acknowledged that patient overload in central hospitals has sparked concerns for the Government, the health sector and people nationwide and affirmed that the government would give it due attention.
The country reports around 150,000 cancer patients every year, including 75,000 that succumb to the disease. Yet the health sector has provided only 25 beds per 1 million persons, a very low ratio compared to other nations in Asia.
The ministry should focus more on quality of treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang City, Nghe An Province, Can Tho City, and the northern province of Phu Tho and is being urged to submit to the PM a plan to address hospital overload in times to come.
According to Dr. Bui Dieu, director of Hospital K, patient overload at the hospital has become serious, as upto 4,000 people come for check-ups and treatment every day.
