The construction project for the Hoang Mai Medical Center needs to be completed soon.

Key project

ProjectHoang Mai Town Medical Center(Phase 1), approved by the Provincial People's Council through Decision No. 98/QD-HĐND dated October 30, 2015. This is considered a key healthcare project, meeting the medical needs of the people after Hoang Mai town was established in 2013. The project is expected to create a modern and comprehensive healthcare infrastructure, contributing to improving the quality of healthcare and serving the urban development goals of northern Nghe An province.

Previously, the Hoang Mai Town Medical Center was established in 2014 according to Decision No. 1577/QD-UBND of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, with 50 staff members transferred from Quynh Luu District General Hospital and Quynh Luu District Preventive Medicine Center. In August 2020, the unit further merged with the Center.

The Population and Family Planning Department of Hoang Mai town simultaneously performs three functions: prevention, guidance to lower-level facilities, and medical examination and treatment related to population issues.

After its establishment, the Center took over the former Hoang Mai Regional Polyclinic on National Highway 1. However, this facility was dilapidated, cramped, frequently flooded, and unable to meet the growing healthcare needs of the people. Therefore, investing in the construction of a new Medical Center was an urgent requirement to ensure adequate healthcare services for the people in the area.

After being approved by the Provincial People's Council, on October 31, 2016, the Provincial People's Committee also issued a decision approving the detailed plan of the project and assigned the then Hoang Mai Town People's Committee as the investor. Accordingly, phase 1 was to be built with a capacity of 100 hospital beds, with items such as: a 5-story examination and treatment building; in addition, there are auxiliary items such as: a ground; a parking garage; a security guard house; a generator and fire pump house, a domestic water supply house; a wastewater treatment pump control house; a water tank; an outdoor water supply system; a drainage system; a fence…

The initial total investment for this project was over 63.3 billion VND, of which the central government budget contributed over 59.683 billion VND and the town's budget contributed over 3.688 billion VND. The project commenced on March 11, 2020, with a planned implementation period of 4 years.

After several adjustments, the total investment for phase 1 was increased to VND 66.315 billion. Simultaneously, the project implementation period was extended by one year, until March 11, 2025.

However, although phase 1 of this project has been essentially completed, it lacked facilities for solid waste and medical waste collection, and a power station to operate the wastewater treatment system. Furthermore, fire safety regulations were not strictly enforced at the time phase 1 was implemented. Therefore, the commissioning of the facility has been affected.

The remaining items need to be completed soon so that the project can be put into use.

According to the plan, Phase 2 of the project will begin upon completion of Phase 1. Therefore, on October 18, 2021, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 48/NQ-HĐND, implementing Phase 2 of the Hoang Mai Town Medical Center construction project. Phase 2 includes items such as: a pharmacy; a medical gas station; a warehouse for supplies and equipment repair; a three-story preventive medicine block; a nutrition area and canteen; a funeral home; and a parking garage. In addition, there are several supplementary items such as a waste treatment area; a 2,000KVA power station; a lighting system; and landscaping… The initial total investment for Phase 2 is 80 billion VND.

During the process of implementing phase 2, on October 18, 2024, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 83/NQ-HĐND adjusting the total investment for phase 2 of this project to 135 billion VND. Of this amount, 55 billion VND comes from the provincial budget; 20 billion VND from increased revenue and savings in the annual budget; and 60 billion VND from the Hoang Mai town budget. Currently, phase 2 has not yet been implemented.

In reality, the fact that phase 1 has been largely completed, but phase 2 has yet to be implemented, has led to a situation where the project is "finished but not finished," wasting resources and prolonging the time people have to continue receiving medical treatment in outdated and dilapidated facilities.

Mr. Ho Sy Duong, Director of the Hoang Mai Town Medical Center, stated: "In the past, despite our efforts to overcome difficulties, the current facilities and infrastructure have seriously deteriorated and are frequently overloaded. The unit is allocated 100 beds, but in reality, we always exceed the capacity, even though we have tried to arrange the best possible locations for beds. In particular, the current location is lower than National Highway 1A, so it is frequently flooded, which has greatly affected the unit's medical examination and treatment services."

Mr. Duong also stated that the new facility is located about 1km from the current one. The unit had considered proposing to move some specialized departments and divisions to the new facility to reduce the workload at the old one, but after careful consideration, it was deemed unsuitable, and the relevant authorities did not allow it.

According to our findings, after the implementation of the two-tiered local government system, Hoang Mai town ceased to exist, and the project was transferred to the ward/commune level. Since the project was previously located in Mai Hung ward (now Quynh Mai ward), the Provincial People's Committee assigned the project to Quynh Mai ward for management and implementation.

Mr. Ho Van Cay, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Mai Ward, said: After being assigned by the Provincial People's Committee, the ward has completed the economic and technical report and submitted it to the Department of Construction for comments. It is expected that bidding will be conducted and phase 2 of the project will be implemented in the near future.

It can be affirmed that investing in the Hoang Mai Town Medical Center is a correct step, meeting the requirements of urban development and the healthcare needs of people in the northern part of Nghe An province. However, shortcomings in the project planning and initial design appraisal, along with objective factors such as changes in fire safety regulations, have caused prolonged delays in the construction.

Given the increasing demand for medical examination and treatment, and the prolonged waiting times for residents, it is crucial to expedite the completion of related procedures and the urgent allocation of resources for the implementation of phase 2 of the Hoang Mai Town Medical Center construction project. Relevant authorities need to conduct a comprehensive review, quickly resolve obstacles, and promptly implement the project's components to ensure efficient operation and prevent delays that could lead to waste and deterioration.