Plan No. 130/KH-BCDDTKNQ18, dated September 21, 2025 of the Steering Committee on summarizing the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the Government on the arrangement of public service units, state-owned enterprises, and organizations within the state administrative system has just been issued.
According to the plan, for hospitals, the Government requires continuing to arrange and transfer a number of hospitals under the Ministry of Health to provincial management, the Ministry of Health manages a number of high-tech, leading hospitals to carry out professional direction tasks, train high-quality human resources, scientific research, transfer techniques, coordinate disease prevention and control, public health emergency events, natural disasters, disasters, and health security.
Previously, regarding the issue of hospital arrangement, the Government approved the Plan to arrange and reorganize hospitals under the Ministry of Health until 2025, period 2026 - 2030.
According to the Decision, the Ministry of Health directly manages a small number of leading specialized hospitals, hospitals responsible for ensuring health security in the Central Highlands and key socio-economic regions, in accordance with the national health facility network planning.
Transfer to local management or merge into public service units under the Ministry of Health for hospitals not subject to the above regulations.
Regarding the plan and implementation roadmap, by the end of 2025, the Ministry of Health will hand over the Central Hospital 74 to the People's Committee of Vinh Phuc province for management.
Arrange and reorganize hospitals: Central Hospital 71, Central Nursing - Rehabilitation Hospital to become practice hospitals of Hanoi Medical University; Quang Nam Central General Hospital to become facility 3 of Hue Central General Hospital.
In the 2026 - 2030 period, develop a specific plan to implement the arrangement and reorganization of hospitals under the Ministry of Health in the 2026 - 2030 period, achieving the goals in Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW, and submit to the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2025.
Before the reorganization plan was approved, the country had 34 central hospitals under the Ministry of Health as end-of-line hospitals, including 11 general hospitals (such as Bach Mai Hospital, E Hospital, Cho Ray Hospital...), 23 specialized hospitals (such as the Central Geriatric Hospital, Central Dermatology Hospital, Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, K Hospital...), and 13 hospitals under the University of Medicine and Pharmacy under the Ministry of Health (such as Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy...).
According to the 2020 Health Statistics Yearbook, the number of hospital beds in central hospitals under the Ministry of Health accounted for 11.3% of the total number of public hospital beds nationwide.
The proportion of inpatient medical services used at this level accounted for about 9.4%. This figure for provincial levels is 51.4% and 37.3% for district levels. The proportion of non-public hospital beds accounts for about 7% of the total number of hospital beds nationwide
According to the Ministry of Health, when some provincial hospitals are invested in and upgraded to become regional hospitals, the trend of people using health services at the central level will decrease.
This agency forecasts that by 2050, the proportion of service use at central hospitals is expected to decrease to 5%. About 50% of patients will use inpatient services at provincial hospitals, 40% will be at district hospitals.
