Instead of having to travel dozens of kilometers, crossing the sea and rivers to go to the mainland for medical examination and treatment, people can now receive modern and specialized medical care right where they live.
The babies of remote islands
In the middle of the stormy night, a small clam shell swaying the waves brought a young pregnant woman from Thieng Lieng island commune to the mainland. On the boat, there was not only the mother who was giving birth early, but also the life of the baby about to be born.
Pregnant woman H.T.K.O. (23 years old) is pregnant for the second time, has money for a cesarean section, and it is almost three weeks until the due date. But in the middle of the night of December 10, she suddenly went into labor. On the island, medical conditions are limited, there are no means of transporting passengers at night. Faced with an urgent situation, Mr. T.T.D (the pregnant woman's husband), decided to rent a shell with profits to travel more than 7km by sea in conditions of big waves and strong winds to take his wife to the mainland.
In the early morning, the pregnant woman was taken to Tu Du Hospital facility 2 in Can Gio. In the Emergency Department, doctors recorded fetal heart failure based on the pre-natal history of the cesarean section, the risk of torn old surgical scars and uterine rupture was very high. The team immediately activated the obstetric emergency procedure and took the patient into the operating room.
The surgery took place urgently and smoothly. The baby boy was born safely, and the health of both mother and child was stable.
BS CKII Vuong Dinh Bao Anh - Deputy Director of Tu Du Hospital - said that if it is delayed or continued to be transferred to the center of Ho Chi Minh City, the risk for both mother and baby is very high. "Timely intervention right in Can Gio has helped mother and child well-being" - Dr. Bao Anh shared.
This case is just one of more than 5,000 outpatient visits of Tu Du Hospital (facility 2) after one month of operation (November 10 - December 10, 2025).
In addition to reproductive health care, people in Can Gio are also examined in the specialties of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics, Traditional Medicine, Ophthalmology, Oars - Nasal Medicine - Gastroenterology, Dermatology, Odonto-Stomatology... which have been synchronously implemented. Common disease groups such as hypertension, upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, normal pregnancy monitoring, diabetes... account for a high proportion, accurately reflecting the disease model in the community and the health care needs of people as well as appropriate technical services of the hospital.
In the early days of operation, Tu Du Hospital facility 2 recorded 92 cases requiring hospital transfer. Most of them were cases requiring specialized intervention or performing paraclinical techniques that had not been deployed on the spot. The referral was carried out according to prescription, according to procedures, with close coordination between Tu Du Hospital and leading hospitals of the city.
Compared to before, the number of hospital transfers has decreased significantly, helping people in coastal and island areas save time and costs, while limiting risks in long journeys.
Along with professional efficiency, people's trust is also gradually nurtured. Only after a short period of operation, the hospital has received many letters of thanks from patients and relatives, recognizing the dedicated service spirit, attentive attitude and quality of treatment of the team of doctors and medical staff.
Initial results after a month of operation show that the policy of opening facility 2 of end-line hospitals is the right direction, contributing to bringing high-quality health services closer to people in remote areas, ensuring fair access to healthcare.
In the coming time, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health will continue to direct Tu Du Hospital facility 2 to complete facilities, supplement modern equipment, expand the technical list and strengthen human resources, gradually building this place into a modern general hospital in Can Gio, better meeting the health care needs of local people.
Expanding the area, healthcare still covers remote island communes
In addition to developing specialized healthcare in Can Gio, Con Dao special zone after officially becoming part of Ho Chi Minh City, the city's health sector has quickly expanded its healthcare capacity to sea and island areas. On July 3, 2025, a delegation from the Department of Health traveled more than 200km by sea to Con Dao special zone to conduct a field survey and develop a plan to improve the quality of healthcare in the locality.
The focus of the program is to train and organize professional training for local doctors and physicians, combined directly and online; deploy the family doctor model; rotate experienced doctors from end-line hospitals to work; and at the same time, propose policies to attract high-quality human resources to be attached to the island for a long time.
Previously, the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center had been invested with more than 247 billion VND, with a scale of 100 beds, put into operation phase 1 from April 2025. However, this is still the only medical facility on the island, both for prevention and treatment, in the context of a lack of specialized personnel and the transfer of emergency lines to the mainland always poses risks due to weather and long distance.
From that reality, the doctor rotation model was first implemented in Con Dao. Thanks to specialized doctors directly working on the island, many critical cases have been treated promptly.
Typically, the stroke on December 5, 2025. Although the patient was hospitalized late, past "golden hour", the on-site team coordinated remote consultation with experts in Ho Chi Minh City to decide to treat hemorrhage right on the island. Only after three hours, the patient's condition improved significantly.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tang Chi Thuong - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health - shared: "Medical ethics is not just a vow but a specific action, we must bring the quality of city healthcare to the most remote areas such as the Con Dao special zone, thereby ensuring the correct implementation of the goal of comprehensive health care for people".
The emergency cases rescued right in Con Dao are clear evidence of the effectiveness of bringing specialized medical care to the island commune, helping people feel more secure when life is no longer completely dependent on the sea crossing trip at night.
