Da Nang (VNA) – The satellite hospital project was implemented by the central coastal city of Da Nang to enhance the capacity of grassroots healthcare facilities, enabling residents to access high-quality medical services in their own communities while easing pressure on higher-level hospitals.
The model is an important component of the roadmap to turn Da Nang into a specialised medical centre for the central and Central Highlands regions, with a number of key specialties, in line with the spirit of Politburo Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW dated September 9, 2025, on breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health.
The project was carried out by the municipal health sector in two phases, from 2019-2021 and 2023-2025, focusing on practical training, technical transfer and enhanced two-way medical consultation. The techniques transferred include gastrointestinal endoscopy, general and obstetric-gynaecological laparoscopic surgery, fracture fixation, emergency and intensive care, neonatal care, caesarean sections, prenatal diagnostic ultrasound, breast and thyroid ultrasound, and palliative care for cancer patients.
Mastering these techniques has significantly reduced unnecessary referrals, particularly in trauma, gastrointestinal and obstetric-paediatric cases.
Bringing advanced techniques to grassroots facilities
During the 2023-2025 period, the Son Tra regional medical centre was approved to organise 18 practical training courses. It subsequently conducted 10 of the 18 courses, fulfilling 55.6% of the target. During this period, 10 doctors and four nurses received training and gained exposure to advanced techniques across various specialties.
Dr Huynh Van Do, in charge of the planning and professional affairs division at the centre, said it had actively coordinated with core hospitals to carry out technical transfers according to the project's roadmap. Of 33 technical areas scheduled for transfer, 17 have been successfully implemented.
The recipient units have gradually applied the newly transferred techniques in medical examination and treatment, helping improve the professional capacity of medical staff, expand the centre's existing range of technical services, reduce referrals for certain diseases and improve the quality of healthcare services at the grassroots level.
Medical workers examine a patient at Da Nang Hospital. (Photo published by VNA)
Dr Huynh Quoc Tam, Head of the Surgery Department at the centre, said that under the satellite hospital project, the facility had received professional support and technical transfers from core hospitals through hands-on training. As a result, doctors at the grassroots level have been able to perform surgery on several complicated cases.
While the referral rate stood at 14.2% in 2022, it had fallen to 9.5% by 2025, he added.
Investing in human resources for satellite facilities
The Ministry of Health has approved the project for 2026-2030, aiming to develop at least 200 additional satellite hospitals nationwide and regularly implement safe, effective and sustainable techniques and technical packages at grassroots facilities.
The project also aims to develop the satellite hospital network into an important component of the national medical examination and treatment system, contributing to comprehensive improvements in the professional capacity, management capacity and service quality of healthcare facilities.
In the central economic hub, those selected as core hospitals participating in the project include Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, Da Nang Traditional Medicine Hospital and the Da Nang oncology hospital, among others.
Dr Nguyen Canh Viet, Director of the Hai Chau regional medical centre, said the facility had been selected as a satellite unit of Da Nang Hospital. Building on its existing foundation, the centre had proactively prepared human resources, upgraded infrastructure and proposed the procurement of medical equipment to be ready to receive transferred techniques.
Dr Pham Tran Xuan Anh, Deputy Director of Da Nang Hospital, said that during the 2023-2025 period, the hospital had organised more than 40 training courses and transferred hundreds of techniques to lower-level facilities under the satellite hospital project. The model proved effective as the referral rate at grassroots hospitals and medical facilities in the former Da Nang city fell by more than 50%.
According to the municipal Department of Health, training and technical transfers from higher-level hospitals to regional medical centres are producing clear results. Local healthcare facilities are continuously improving their examination and treatment capacity, reducing referrals and strengthening public confidence in their services./.
