Ho Chi Minh City's major hospitals 'sponsor' community health

For the first time, Ho Chi Minh City has assigned top-tier hospitals, including Cho Ray, Thong Nhat, and Military Hospital 175, to directly 'sponsor' individual communes and wards, sending doctors to local facilities to provide free health check-ups for residents as part of a 150-day campaign.

Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, announced this intensive campaign on 14/7, officially launching it from 16/7 to accelerate the universal health check-up program. A key aspect of the plan is that each commune, ward, or special zone will have one or more hospitals partnering with them, depending on population size.

"Instead of residents struggling to get to hospitals, these units will dispatch doctors, nurses, and technicians directly to local health stations or mobile examination points within the community", Mr. Thuong stated.

This marks the first time the city has comprehensively mobilized its entire treatment system for a community health program. In addition to central and ministry-affiliated hospitals, numerous major city facilities like Nhan Dan Gia Dinh, Nhan Dan 115, Trung Vuong, and Nguyen Tri Phuong are also responsible for specific areas.

Doctors from Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital conducting health check-ups for residents of Phu My ward on 13/7. Photo: Hospital provided

Private hospitals and eligible polyclinics are also participating to enhance capacity, making healthcare services more accessible to residents. If any medical conditions requiring in-depth intervention are detected, the sponsoring hospitals will immediately provide specialized support and referral for treatment.

The campaign builds upon positive results achieved over nearly two months of implementation. As of the end of the week from 6 to 12/7, Ho Chi Minh City had provided check-ups for nearly 468,000 people and created electronic health records, with the past week alone setting a record of over 120,000 visits. At this pace, the health sector expects to surpass the 500,000 check-up mark this week. To achieve the 150-day target, medical teams are prepared to work beyond regular hours and on weekends, facilitating participation for working individuals.

The ultimate goal of this "hospital-community partnership" model is to ensure 100% of Ho Chi Minh City residents receive health check-ups, have electronic health records created, and benefit from continuous health management within the first year of implementing Politburo Resolution 72.

The health sector will update examination data into each person's lifelong electronic record, enabling hospitals to collaborate with local health stations to monitor chronic diseases and care for the elderly. Following the campaign, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to maintain this model to establish a sustainable health management network at the grassroots level, bringing healthcare services closer to residents instead of solely concentrating them at hospitals.