Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung on Dec. 29 launched an order to begin the construction of a general hospital in the Mekong delta province of Soc Trang.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Deputy PM Hung emphasised the necessity for provincial leaders to pay attention to the construction as the project provides medical service to residents in Soc Trang and its adjacent provinces.

Located in Soc Trang city’s precinct 3, the 700-bed hospital will be the second largest of its kind in the Mekong delta at the cost of 1 trillion VND funded by government bonds. Its expected completion is 2014.

The hospital will encompass a three-storey examination and treatment ward, two buildings of nine storeys and seven storeys inpatient and administrative offices, a five-storey technical ward and a basement./.