The Ministry of Health has urged hospitals to upgrade and build more facilities to reduce overcrowding.

 Crowded hospital

Almost all hospitals complained about overcrowding at a conference to improve healthcare on March 15 in Hanoi.

In 2008-2010 period, the capacity of hospital beds across the country reduced 7% while the capacity of beds in city hospitals increased 4% in period 2009-2010. Some of the most overcrowded hospitals are the K Hospital with 172% bed capacity, Bach Mai Hospital with 168%, Cho Ray Hospital with 139% and Quang Ngai General Hospital with 130%.

Hospital overcrowding has not been such a major problem anywhere else in the world.

Assoc. Prof, Dr Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Minister of Health said a distinction should be made between what she described as ‘fake’ and real overcrowding. Fake overloading was the result of people with mild illnesses refusing to get medical care at district-level hospitals, while real overcrowding was mostly registered in oncology and cardiovascular departments where the people with these diseases had greatly increased.

In order to tackle the problem, proposals will be scheduled to be sent to the Prime Minister this June, but the Ministry of Health has already urged hospitals to implement measures to reduce overcrowding. The proposal clarifies the transfer rules, hospital fee norms and sets strict rules over satellite hospitals. For example, if satellite hospitals receive patients that they can cure, then they are responsible for the patient and administrative matters.

"We have to clarify the regulations and raise awareness among the public so patients won’t make unnecessary hospital transfers. That could help to reduce the fake overloading," Tien said.

The K Hospital was ordered to transfer 300 cases to its satellite Hospital No.3 Tan Trieu in Ha Dong District. The Cardiovascular Clinic and Oncology Centre under Bach Mai Hospital will be upgraded to contain more 50 beds a piece by May 2012.

"Those places have real overloading. The numbers of people with these diseases have increased, while the number of sick beds have remained static for years. Previously, the hospital received 100 patients, now it’s 500. We can only put in more the sick beds." Tien further said.

Also addressing the hospital overcrowd problem, Assoc. Prof, Dr. Nguyen Tien Quyet, Director of Viet Duc Hospital optimistically said, "We can reduce overcrowding in hospitals, but the government has to provide policies related to human resources and investment."