Can Tho (VNA) – The Stroke International Services (SIS) Hospital, the first of its kind in the Mekong Delta, was put into official operation in Can Tho city on February 20.
The 100-bed hospital was built at a cost of 500 billion VND (21.5 million USD) with state-of-the-art equipment, said Tran Chi Cuong, the hospital’s director.
Cooperating with international medical schools and hospitals like the US-based University of Tennessee and Erlanger Regional Stroke Centre, as well as the Canada-based University of Toronto, the SIS Hospital is expected to become a training centre for domestic and foreign hospitals in the cardiovascular and stroke field.
Dr. Nguyen Huy Quang, Director of the Ministry of Health’s Legal Department, highlighted the significance of the hospital, saying it has opened up opportunities for people in the Mekong Delta to access high-quality medical services.
Local patients will no longer have to travel 200km to Ho Chi Minh City for stroke treatment, he said, noting that the hospital is also hoped to promote the development of relevant sectors.
Cuong said the SIS Hospital aims to reach international standards, but its service prices will be much lower than other international hospitals.
Of note, the hospital will provide canoe transport services to patients, he said, adding that it will offer medical check-ups and treatment for patients with health insurance cards in the time to come.
Statistics show that there are an average of 200,000 stroke patients in Vietnam every year.
The mortality and disability rate is still high due to a variety of reasons, including hospitals limited in endovascular intervention capacity and the late hospitalisation of patients. In particular, there are more than 10,000 cases of stroke patients in the Mekong Delta region, with a higher rate of mortality and disability than big cities like HCM City.–VNA