Bach Mai Hospital, the largest medical facility in the northern region, started construction of a modern health examination and treatment centre with rooftop helipad.

Construction on the VND644 billion (USD29.5 million) 12-storey centre began on October 28.

The centre will have 120 examination rooms and would provide capacity to examine up to 6,000 outpatients a day. The 100-bed treatment area will be equipped with advanced medical equipment and will have skilled doctors.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, the hospital director Dr Nguyen Quoc Anh said that once operational in the first quarter of 2018, the centre is expected to help ease serious overloading for Bach Mai hospital.

Anh added that the helipad would enable more rapid responses to natural disasters or transportation of donated organs.

Bach Mach provides medical check-up and treatment for around 9,000 patients a day.

Dr Quoc Anh said the hospital had also been speeding up construction of its second branch in the northern province of Ha Nam.