Reducing hospital overcrowding, tightening hospital transfers andmanaging health insurance funds were among the topics discussed at aquestion-and-answer session of the National Assembly on April 17.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien admitted that hospitaltransfers were believed to be the biggest cause for hospitalovercrowding and overspending of health insurance funds.
Statistics from the ministry show that around 60 percent of patientscame to be examined and treated in central hospitals, she said.
Lack of faith in examination treatment quality at local hospitals was blamed for the situation, she said.
Deputy Le Van Lai did not agree with the ministry’s solution toreduce central-level hospital overcrowding by transferring recoveringpatients to satellite hospitals.
What would be if healthproblems occurred in the recovery stage, Lai asked. Only when satellitehospital treatment standards were raised would overcrowding at centralhospitals be reduced.
Tien said facilities would be improvedat satellite hospitals and their doctors would be trained to operateequipment for the examination and treatment of local patients.
Women who had cesareans, for example, were transferred tolocal-level hospitals for rest and treatment after delivery, she said.If they stayed in central-level hospitals, they had to share a bed with3-4 others.
To reduce hospital transfers, the ministry plansto operate a family doctor programme for healthcare centre in communes,she said.
Doctors working at commune-levelhealthcare centres would participate in family-doctor training courses,she said.
The family doctors would provide first-aid forpatients who would only be transferred to central hospitals if they werediagnosed with serious illnesses, she said.
The ministryofficially started training family doctors in 2008. Now over 570 familydoctors have graduated, most of them are working at grass-roots heathcentres.
In response to deputies’ question on theexamination and treatment for people aged 75 and over, Tien said theministry would order hospitals to set up new areas and installequipment for them.
The ratio of hospital beds in Vietnam is now 21.1 per 10,000 people.-VNA
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien admitted that hospitaltransfers were believed to be the biggest cause for hospitalovercrowding and overspending of health insurance funds.
Statistics from the ministry show that around 60 percent of patientscame to be examined and treated in central hospitals, she said.
Lack of faith in examination treatment quality at local hospitals was blamed for the situation, she said.
Deputy Le Van Lai did not agree with the ministry’s solution toreduce central-level hospital overcrowding by transferring recoveringpatients to satellite hospitals.
What would be if healthproblems occurred in the recovery stage, Lai asked. Only when satellitehospital treatment standards were raised would overcrowding at centralhospitals be reduced.
Tien said facilities would be improvedat satellite hospitals and their doctors would be trained to operateequipment for the examination and treatment of local patients.
Women who had cesareans, for example, were transferred tolocal-level hospitals for rest and treatment after delivery, she said.If they stayed in central-level hospitals, they had to share a bed with3-4 others.
To reduce hospital transfers, the ministry plansto operate a family doctor programme for healthcare centre in communes,she said.
Doctors working at commune-levelhealthcare centres would participate in family-doctor training courses,she said.
The family doctors would provide first-aid forpatients who would only be transferred to central hospitals if they werediagnosed with serious illnesses, she said.
The ministryofficially started training family doctors in 2008. Now over 570 familydoctors have graduated, most of them are working at grass-roots heathcentres.
In response to deputies’ question on theexamination and treatment for people aged 75 and over, Tien said theministry would order hospitals to set up new areas and installequipment for them.
The ratio of hospital beds in Vietnam is now 21.1 per 10,000 people.-VNA
