Satellite hospital project: Opportunity to improve medical skills

(Baonghean) - With the permission of the Ministry of Health and the Provincial People's Committee, many hospitals in the province have recently participated in the Satellite Hospital Project. Thanks to that, hospitals have the opportunity to develop science and technology, and treatment equipment for patients. This is a good measure, a good way to make Nghe An become the Medical Center of the North Central region.

The Provincial General Hospital was allowed by the Ministry of Health to participate in the Satellite Hospital Project since 2009. Together with 9 other hospitals in the Northern region, the Provincial General Hospital has become a satellite hospital of Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi). After 4 years of becoming a satellite hospital, Bach Mai Hospital has sent nearly 20 batches of staff to transfer techniques; train staff for the Provincial General Hospital. Experts and doctors of Bach Mai Hospital have directly "held hands and guided" at the request of the Provincial Hospital. The Provincial Hospital has also sent many medical teams and doctors to study long-term at Bach Mai Hospital.

Open heart surgery at the Provincial General Hospital - one of the advanced techniques transferred thanks to becoming a satellite hospital. Photo: Tu Thanh

The Provincial General Hospital has benefited greatly from the Satellite Hospital Project, specifically in developing advanced technology. For example, in the past, the hospital's circulatory emergency techniques were not standardized, but now they have become scientific, follow the correct procedures and are effective; musculoskeletal techniques have been transferred, creating the premise for the hospital to upgrade the musculoskeletal department (formerly under the cardiovascular department) to become the Department of Musculoskeletal in 2014; in addition, open heart surgery, kidney transplantation, and vascular techniques have been transferred, developed, and quickly shown good effects. It is estimated that each vascular intervention performed in Nghe An will help patients save about 40 - 50 million VND in costs if they go to a central hospital for treatment. It is estimated that dozens of techniques from the central level have been transferred and routinely adopted at the Provincial General Hospital.

Doctor Le Thi Thanh Tra, Head of the Administrative Organization Department of the Provincial General Hospital, said: With the mutual relationship, seriously ill patients sent by the provincial hospital are cared for and treated promptly by doctors at the central level. At the same time, the General Hospital has continuously invited experts from Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi Heart Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City to learn new techniques even after the end of the Satellite Hospital Project. Experts in teaching at the hospital will help us know what equipment and specific conditions are lacking. And in those specific conditions, how to respond, purchase, and improve.

In Nghe An, in addition to the Provincial General Hospital becoming a satellite hospital of the Central hospitals, there is also the Oncology Hospital and the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Doctor Pham Vinh Hung, Deputy Director of Nghe An Oncology Hospital, said: Since 2013, Nghe An Oncology Hospital has been approved to become a satellite hospital of the Central Cancer Hospital. In the past 2 years, the Cancer Hospital has opened many training courses for staff of Nghe An Oncology Hospital. There are 10 technical categories such as head and neck cancer surgery, abdominal gastrointestinal cancer, gynecological and urological cancer surgery, radiotherapy for some gastrointestinal and abdominal cancers that have been transferred, in addition to a number of other necessary technical packages that Nghe An Oncology Hospital has proactively requested. By becoming a satellite hospital, the reputation of Nghe An Oncology Hospital has been enhanced, the level of medical staff has been raised, contributing to saving costs for patients, avoiding overloading of upper-level hospitals... When the hospital's radiotherapy center was completed, Nghe An Oncology Hospital basically mastered all the techniques of the central level.

Doctor Tran Van Cuong, Deputy Director of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, said: Previously, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital had a cooperation program with Hanoi Heart Hospital, which helped the hospital treat heart diseases well. Recently, on July 1, 2015, the Ministry of Health issued a decision approving the addition of the list of participants in the Satellite Hospital Project for the period 2013 - 2020. Accordingly, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has become a satellite hospital of Hanoi Heart Hospital. Thus, becoming a satellite hospital will help speed up the process of receiving treatment techniques for congenital heart disease in children and pregnant women. The hospital also saves money when sending staff to study compared to before...

Becoming a satellite hospital has brought about many obvious effects. Provincial hospitals have grasped and mastered many high-tech techniques of the central level; thereby providing better care and treatment for patients in the province; then transferring to district hospitals, helping to improve the treatment capacity of doctors and nurses at district hospitals. Patients are guaranteed their rights in health care; lower-level hospitals have helped upper-level hospitals reduce the load. It can be said that becoming a satellite hospital will help hospitals in Nghe An pay attention to investing in high technology; has helped Nghe An successfully implement the project to build a High-Tech Medical Center for the North Central region in Vinh City in recent times.

To further improve the quality of treatment in general, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee is currently directing the relevant departments to complete the construction of the "Project to build a High-Tech Medical Center in the North Central region in Vinh City, Nghe An in the period of 2015 - 2020" with 3 breakthroughs to become a High-Tech Medical Center. These are: Deploying radiotherapy techniques in cancer treatment, in vitro fertilization techniques, and organ transplantation techniques.

Commenting on the project, experts all agreed that the Satellite Hospital Project should be taken seriously. Doctor Le Thi Thanh Tra said: “To become a High-Tech Medical Center, we need to clearly define the goals we are aiming for. These goals must truly meet the needs of the people, the actual disease model requires; We need to focus on the spearheads at the regional and international level to make breakthroughs; For example, accompanying organ transplant techniques are testing, paraclinical, and preservation techniques. Becoming a satellite hospital to learn and perform well the top techniques will build a brand, creating a premise for developing other techniques”. Dr. Pham Vinh Hung also commented: “We should find ways to expand and build many hospitals into satellite hospitals. Identify the advanced techniques that we cannot do to learn. With many satellite hospitals, the technical level will gradually improve. With many advanced techniques, then obviously we will become the High-Tech Medical Center of the region.”

Nghe An is identified as a high-quality medical center of the North Central region. In the context of the province's economy still facing many difficulties, the strategy of participating in the Satellite Hospital Project network is completely correct. If this project is well implemented, certainly, hospitals, doctors and people will all benefit.

Thanh Son