Many foreigners trust Vietnamese healthcare
Having been active in the medical industry for many years, Dr. Mai Ba Tien Dung - Head of the Department of Andrology, Binh Dan Hospital has directly intervene to treat patients from abroad coming to Vietnam using medical services many times.
For example, the case of a Canadian male patient who was sterilized more than 10 years ago. Initially, the patient only went to the hospital to learn about his problem. When consulted by the head of the department, the patient asked more about his professional qualifications, experience, number of surgeries that the doctor had performed, success rate... and decided to stay in Vietnam for treatment.
According to Dr. Tien Dung, foreign patients often have researched their diseases carefully, so they will ask a lot about the doctor's information, professional qualifications, experience in treating the diseases they are suffering from, the rate of successful treatment... Once the patient has confidence, they will cooperate in treatment.
At the Department of Andrology, international patients have trusted and introduced themselves to others after successful treatment. The number of patients has increased accordingly. During peak times, the department treats 6-7 foreign patients at the same time.
Not only the public hospital sector, but even private hospitals have received many cases of unfortunate cases that have chosen Vietnam for treatment. Minh Anh International Hospital is one of the hospitals that receives many cases of patients from neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Australia... for treatment.
For example, in the case of patient N.V.A (45 years old, Cambodian), 8 months ago, the patient thought he had escaped death after a brain tumor surgery in the locality. However, the tumor was not not completely removed but also recurred at a terrible rate.
Coming to Vietnam, the patient was admitted to the hospital with a severe headache, the imaging diagnosis revealed a giant antibodiescular tumor (Hemangioblastoma) that had occupied almost the entire left subcrane.
Dr. Do Van Long - Department of Neurosurgery - Spine, Minh Anh International Hospital said that the team has mobilized a modern surgical microscopy system with a very large exaggeration and endoscopic neural monitoring system. Just 2 days after surgery, the man who was unable to walk on his own was able to stand up, confidently taking the first slow steps, much to the surprise of his relatives.
Need to build a price list for medical examination and treatment for foreigners
Hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City receive thousands of international patients every year, mainly from Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Japan, the US, the UK, Germany... However, the majority of visitors come to the hospital by themselves, traveling, eating, staying, receiving medical examination and treatment and returning home, lacking professional patient support services.
Meanwhile, in Thailand or Singapore, the medical tourism model has become a service industry that brings in billions of USD each year thanks to the close connection between hospitals, travel companies, hotels, airlines and especially media and promotion. Tourists not only come to see a doctor, but also experience resort, rehabilitation, post-treatment care, systematic and comprehensive sightseeing services.
Specialist Doctor 2 Luong Thanh Tung - Deputy Director of Binh Dan Hospital, said that the hospital's internal resources are beyond the ability to treat diseases, and the current medical examination and treatment prices for foreigners are also applied like Vietnamese people, so they are highly competitive with countries in the region.
However, the quality of treatment needs to go hand in hand with the right price for foreign visitors. Doctor Tran Ngoc Hai - Director of Tu Du Hospital said: "We do not have a clear mechanism for dividing the benefits of all parties, because the health sector has not yet determined the price when examining and treating foreign visitors. Currently, treatment costs are calculated like Vietnamese people, with a ceiling for examination and treatment. Therefore, it is very difficult for the hospital to have reasonable discounts for travel agencies and travel agencies when bringing guests. If calculating the current price, the discount for businesses is very low".
The hospital is very ready to meet all requirements of medical tourism development. The policy policy policy is clear, only needing a mechanism to concretize in building medical examination and treatment prices for foreign patients. The problem of facilities, staff, and equipment is no longer a barrier but a strength of the hospital.
