Vietnam Health Ministry Urges Stepping-up of Hospital Project

The implementation of the second phase of a regional and provincial hospital development project must be accelerated in 2016 to improve residents' health and reduce overload at central hospitals. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen told project management boards of the central and provincial authorities yesterday at a conference held to review the project's 2015 outcomes in the southern Binh Dinh Province. The second phase of the project, started in 2012, aims to improve healthcare services at 10 regional and provincial hospitals by providing medical facilities, equipment and training to enhance medical staff's capacities. The 10 beneficiaries are Danang C Hospital, general hospitals in the central Binh Dinh and Ninh Thuan provinces, the southwestern Tay Ninh Province, the central highlands Lam Dong Province and Hanoi's Son Tay District, besides the northern Bac Giang Province, paediatric hospitals in the northern Thai Binh Province and the central Nghe An Province, and Nam Dinh Obstetrics Hospital. The total investment capital of the five-year project has touched JPY10 billion ($120 million), more than JPY8 billion ($104 million) of which has been sourced from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) of the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). Deputy Minister Xuyen said seven of the 10 hospitals had completed reports on technical and financial assessments, which were approved by JICA. The general hospitals of Binh Dinh and Bac Giang provinces and Hanoi’s Son Tay District are finishing their reports and will submit them to JICA in January next year. The first phase of the project was carried out from October 2008 to May 2011, resulting in the selection of the 10 target hospitals. (http://vietnamnews.vn/ Dec 10)