The paradox of cramped places, "matting" places
To receive radiotherapy for cancer at facility 1 of Can Tho City Oncology Hospital (located on Chau Van Liem street, Tan An ward, Ninh Kieu district), Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa (Vinh Long province) had to wait from 2 - 3 months. She lamented: "The hospital only has one radiotherapy machine while a large number of patients from the West come in, making everyone tired."
Ms. Hoa's case is not an exception because according to preliminary statistics, every day there are more than 300 Mekong Delta patients waiting in line. "2 - 3 patients lie in 1 bed in a damp place, the room is degraded until it's their turn, there are people who struggle to go for radiation treatment in the middle of the night" - Mr. Lam Van Trung (Can Tho City) said.
In fact, since 2017, Can Tho City People's Committee has approved the investment project to build a new Can Tho City Oncology Hospital (500 beds), 17,000 m2 wide, with a total capital of more than 1,700 billion VND (from loan capital). ODA from the Hungarian Government and counterpart capital from the City) with the expectation of reducing treatment pressure at facility 1. However, after 5 years, this project has only reached 21% of the construction volume due to the loan agreement running out. term.
Worth mentioning, 2 years since construction stopped is also the time when facility 1 of Can Tho City Oncology Hospital has had more pressure to shoulder the burden of patients, leading to the paradox of "cramped places, crowded places".
Specialist II Doctor Tran Thanh Phong - Head of the Department of Radiation Therapy, informed: "Along with the increase in radiotherapy for patients, it has put pressure on the medical team. We hope that all branches and doctors will At the Can Tho City level, the Ministry of Health and the Government pay closer attention so that the old hospital has more radiotherapy machines to solve immediate difficulties; actively participate in solving the problems of the new hospital in the long term."
There will be 2 solutions
Talking to Labor, Mr. Hoang Quoc Cuong - Director of Can Tho City Department of Health - informed that the city is very interested in investing and developing Can Tho City Oncology Hospital, because in Decision 201/QD- Circular dated February 27, 2024 of the Prime Minister on Planning the network of medical facilities in Can Tho, Can Tho City Oncology Hospital will be one of 6 hospitals in the Mekong Delta.
"Currently, Can Tho is implementing two solutions related to the City Oncology Hospital. First, the department coordinates with local departments and branches to request a policy to invest in a new radiotherapy machine (placed in at the facility 1). If approved, we will complete the task of investing in radiotherapy machines for the hospital as quickly as possible. Second, the department is actively reviewing processes and procedures Most likely, in the first - second quarter of 2025, the Can Tho City Oncology Hospital project with a scale of 500 beds will be restarted" - Mr. Cuong informed.
With immediate and long-term solutions for the City Oncology Hospital, Can Tho Health sector hopes to improve health care for patients in the region according to planning. However, according to the Director of the Department of Health of Can Tho City, after replacing the radiotherapy machine as well as restarting the new hospital, the possibility of cancer patients still having to wait for radiotherapy cannot be ruled out. Because, according to international cancer treatment standards, over 1 million people must have 1 radiotherapy machine, while Vietnamese hospitals cannot yet do so.
