Thanh An Saigon General Hospital: Joining hands for community health

(Baonghean) - Along with focusing on investing in equipment, training medical staff, applying advanced science and technology to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment,Thanh An Saigon General Hospital is very concernedcharity and humanitarian activities, health care for policy beneficiaries and poor patients.

During the 2016 flood season, with the word “Heart”, the hospital’s team of experienced and enthusiastic doctors and nurses brought full equipment, medicine, rice and necessities… to the poor rural areas facing many difficulties during each flash flood.

In October 2016, right after the widespread flooding, the hospital took the lead in helping the affected people in Thanh Ha commune, Thanh Chuong district (Nghe An); with 400kg of rice for 20 households with the most severe damage and more than 400 people were examined, given medical advice, and given free prescriptions. The total cost for this charity visit was up to 80 million VND.

Thanh An Saigon General Hospital provides free medicine to people in Thanh Chuong. Photo: Dinh Nguyet

In order to share difficulties and create opportunities for poor people to access medical services, at the end of December 2016, Thanh An Saigon General Hospital established a working group of 28 officers, doctors and nurses to organize health examinations, consultations and provide free medicine to 500 policy beneficiaries, the elderly and poor households of Thanh Mai and Thanh Tung communes, Thanh Chuong district.

At the program, people were examined, consulted and guided on health care and protection methods by experienced doctors and leading experts such as medical doctor Ngo Kim Chung, specialist II - Deputy Director of Nguyen Xuan Nghiem hospital, master Nguyen Thanh Mai...

After each volunteer trip, the faces of the volunteers wearing white hospital blouses were tired, but bright. Because from the heart, each member was satisfied because they had meaningful days. Those were also experiences, accumulations of courage, determination and efforts in the career of taking care of community health of the young people of Thanh An General Hospital Saigon.

The hospital supports rice for people in flooded areas of Thanh Chuong district. Photo: Dinh Nguyet

Talking to us, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Nghiem - Deputy Director of Thanh An Saigon General Hospital said: "The free health check-up activity for people in difficult areas, policy beneficiaries, and the poor aims to check their health, detect hidden diseases that people do not have the conditions to go to medical facilities for examination; at the same time, providing free consultation and treatment is an activity to demonstrate the hospital's responsibility to society and the community. Therefore, in the following years, the hospital will continue to implement it annually and more regularly."

Along with free medical examination and treatment programs, Thanh An Saigon General Hospital is also an active unit in humanitarian support such as organizing donations to support flood victims in the Central region, actively participating in humanitarian blood donation programs. With a team of experienced doctors, spacious, comfortable and modern infrastructure, Thanh An - Saigon General Hospital is a place to successfully organize free community health communication sessions.

Responding to the humanitarian medical examination and treatment campaign and community health care in 2016, on December 21, 2016, the hospital organized "communication for community health" programs with the topic of preventing and treating diabetes, high blood pressure and organizing free health examinations, checks and care for people living in Le Loi and Hung Binh wards (Vinh City).

Medical Doctor Ngo Kim Chung and Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Xuan Nghiem, along with other prestigious and experienced doctors, participated in the exchange, provided advice, and answered people's questions; contributing to raising people's awareness in maintaining and protecting their own and their family's health.

Thanh An Saigon General Hospital also regularly offers special incentive packages to support and share some of the medical examination and treatment costs for patients and customers of the hospital such as: 20% discount on service prices for patients with magnetic resonance imaging - MRI in diagnosis and treatment. 10% discount on total examination, paraclinical consultation and functional testing (applicable for the next visit).

The hospital also commits not to collect any difference in fees from patients with health insurance cards in the right area, and to waive the difference in fees for patients with health insurance cards in the wrong area who are eligible for policies, meritorious people and people living in difficult areas... In addition, there are other attractive special incentive packages at certain times of the year.

Master, Doctor Nguyen Thanh Mai - Deputy Director of Thanh An Saigon General Hospital provides free medical examination and consultation to poor people in Thanh Chuong. Photo: Dinh Nguyet

In 2017, Thanh An Saigon General Hospital will continue to carry out humanitarian medical examination and treatment activities and community health care in disadvantaged areas, specifically in Nghi Loc, Thanh Chuong, Anh Son districts and some other localities to support and help people in disadvantaged areas have more complete access to medical services.

At the same time, public health communication sessions will still be regularly organized for free, and health communication articles will be published in newspapers and on radio so that people can better understand and be aware of health care, protection and prevention of some common diseases.

In particular, in 2017, the hospital will implement the program "Golden Friday" (the 2nd Friday of the month), providing free examination, consultation, and surgery for all patients. Patients of all groups will receive free examination, consultation, and surgery for all diseases.

These surgeries will be performed by experienced surgeons from the hospital and good doctors from central hospitals.

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