President commends achievements by Children’s Hospital 1

President Vo Van Thuong on February 22 visited the Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27).
President Vo Van Thuong visits a child patient at the Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)
President Vo Van Thuong visits a child patient at the Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

The State leader lauded achievements recorded by the hospital, which is striving to be listed in the top five children’s hospitals in Southeast Asia.

Given the rapid developments of childhood diseases, including emerging ones, the hospital’s doctors and nurses have put in place appropriate health care models, he said, stressing its mortality rate dropped to 0.3% last year from about 1.4% in 2005.

Its progress has been recognised by the international and domestic medical communities, President Thuong said, taking the example of the first prenatal heart surgeries in Southeast Asia conducted in the hospital.

However, such statistics are not enough to demonstrate the mettle and good professional skills of the hospital’s doctors, as well as their dedication to child patients, he noted.

The President suggested the hospital expand international cooperation, better the management work, and maximise scientific-technological advances in both management and treatment.

The hospital should further guide and support lower-level medical facilities in handling difficult cases, thus contributing to easing hospital overload at the higher levels, President Thuong said.

He also asked municipal authorities to improve the living standards of the hospital’s staff, upgrade its infrastructure, and pay more attention to personnel training.

With 1,768 officials and health workers and a bed capacity of 1,500 each day, the hospital serves up to about 5,000 patients during peak periods.

VNA