Striving for everyone to have access to specialized healthcare
A 46-year-old patient with acute myocardial infarction, cardiac shock, with a mortality risk of over 90% was saved at Dong Nai General Hospital with ECMO technique. Previously, this case was almost certain to be transferred to Ho Chi Minh City, but now it has been treated locally thanks to many years of professional support from Cho Ray Hospital.
After 126 years of development, Cho Ray not only receives the most severe cases in the South but also helps local hospitals master many specialized techniques that are only performed at the final level.
BS.CKII Pham Thanh Viet - Director of Cho Ray Hospital - said that the hospital not only updates medical achievements to improve treatment quality but also shares knowledge, experience and techniques, contributing to better health care for people nationwide.
We always hope that people in any locality will have the opportunity to access high-quality medical services. If lower-level doctors can perform difficult techniques, patients will not have to travel hundreds of kilometers to go to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment," he said.
Life is extended thanks to technology transfer to save patients
In 2025, Cho Ray Hospital transferred urinary endoscopy and peripheral vascular intervention techniques to Tay Ninh General Hospital. After training, provincial-level doctors independently performed 5 successful surgeries and treated 7 patients, being assessed as having sufficient capacity to receive and treat.
Cho Ray also provides professional support for more than 10 years to Dong Nai in surgery and cardiology; and also provides endoscopic joint surgery training for Vung Tau General Hospital.
According to BS.CKII Pham Thanh Viet, this is the most sustainable value of a final-line hospital. Because each successfully transferred technique means that more patients are treated right in the locality, reducing travel costs, reducing waiting times and reducing pressure on central hospitals.
In parallel with professional development, Cho Ray Hospital promotes comprehensive digital transformation. From September 2025, the hospital will deploy electronic medical records throughout the system, towards a paperless model, supporting online examination registration, tracing treatment history and data interconnection to serve management, health insurance, and scientific research.
The hospital was also selected to pilot a health data coordination system with facilities in Binh Duong and An Giang. This is considered one of the preparation steps for the process of building a digital health ecosystem in the future.
Continuous innovation efforts have helped Cho Ray Hospital become one of the six hospitals prioritized for investment and upgrading to international standards in the national health system development strategy. In 2025, the Hospital was honored at the Vinh Quang Vietnam program. In June 2026, the hospital was also included in the ranking "Best Specialized Hospitals Asia Pacific 2026" announced by Newsweek and Statista in the field of cardiology.
With a long history of achievements, the hospital's team of doctors is still concerned about how to make Cho Ray's achievements not only stop within the scope of a hospital. BS.CKII Pham Thanh Viet shared: "We hope that generations of doctors will continue to maintain their sense of responsibility to patients, constantly learn and be ready to share their achievements for the common development of the country's medicine.
After 126 years of development, Cho Ray Hospital is still the place to receive the most difficult cases in the Southern region. But perhaps the larger measure of the hospital today is not only the number of people saved in Ho Chi Minh City, but also the number of patients who no longer have to leave their hometown to find treatment opportunities.
