From early morning, Ms. H.T. (37 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) and her 8-year-old child came to Ho Chi Minh City Mental Hospital facility 3 for examination. To be examined, she and her child had to queue for a very long time. The waiting time was also a time when she felt pressure.
For pediatric patients with psychological problems like my child, having them sit in such a small and crowded space is very inconvenient. I often have to do everything to stabilize my child's psychology to sit and wait, it's very crowded here, so I have to try with everyone," Ms. T. shared.
According to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, at Ho Chi Minh City Mental Hospital (facility 3, Phan Dang Luu street, Cau Kieu ward, Ho Chi Minh City), a place specializing in receiving outpatient psychiatric examination and treatment for children, overload is clearly occurring. On average, this facility examines about 200 children every day, of which about 30% of patients are examined with health insurance.
According to BS.CKII Nguyen Dang Khoa - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Psychiatric Hospital, the existing space does not well meet the requirements of professional development and the increasing demand for receiving patients. Facility 1 and facility 3 currently have limited areas but must simultaneously meet many professional activities such as medical examination, emergency care, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, psychological counseling and patient support activities.
In particular, with the specific characteristics of mental patients, they need a safe, airy treatment environment, with appropriate living and rehabilitation space.
Faced with the above situation, Ho Chi Minh City Mental Hospital proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health pay attention to and consider the policy of arranging a new facility with a larger scale of area.
Through a field survey on August 11, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc - Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City - said that the facilities at some mental treatment facilities are still cramped and stuffy, causing difficulties for both patients and medical staff.
Mental patients are a vulnerable group, if they have to be treated in a cramped, unventilated space, care and treatment will face many obstacles.
In the immediate future, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc proposed that the Department of Health coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance to review and select an establishment under state management of the health sector with available facilities to renovate and adjust functions, and soon arrange to serve mental patients.
According to the orientation given, Ho Chi Minh City will have two areas for caring for and treating mental patients. Among them, the mental hospital has an area of about 5 hectares, with a scale of 1,000 beds; the mental patient nursing center has an area of about 3.3 hectares, with a scale of 1,000 beds. These projects are expected to start construction in the second quarter of 2027 and be put into operation from 2029.
