Satellite Hospital Project: An 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 participated in the Satellite Hospital Project. Thanks to this, hospitals have had the opportunity to develop scientific and technical expertise and improve treatment equipment for patients. This is a good measure and an effective approach to making Nghe An a medical center for the North Central region.

The Provincial Friendship General Hospital was authorized by the Ministry of Health to participate in the Satellite Hospital Project since 2009. Along with nine other hospitals in the northern region, the Provincial Friendship General Hospital became a satellite hospital of Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi). After four years as a satellite hospital, Bach Mai Hospital has sent nearly 20 groups of staff to transfer technology and train personnel for the Provincial Friendship General Hospital. Experts and doctors from Bach Mai Hospital have directly provided hands-on training at the request of the Provincial Hospital. The Provincial Hospital has also sent many medical teams for long-term training 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 the development of advanced techniques. For example, previously, the hospital's circulatory emergency techniques were not standardized, but now they are scientific, follow proper procedures, and are highly effective; musculoskeletal techniques have been transferred, creating a foundation for the hospital to upgrade its musculoskeletal department (formerly part of the cardiovascular department) to a Musculoskeletal Department in 2014; in addition, open-heart surgery, kidney transplantation, and vascular techniques have been transferred, developed, and quickly yielded positive results. It is estimated that each vascular intervention performed in Nghe An saves patients approximately 40-50 million VND compared to treatment at central hospitals. It is estimated that dozens of techniques from central hospitals have been transferred and routinely adopted at the Provincial General Hospital.

Dr. Le Thi Thanh Tra, Head of the Administrative and Organizational Department of the Provincial Friendship General Hospital, said: "With this reciprocal relationship, seriously ill patients referred from the provincial hospital receive timely attention and treatment from doctors at the central level. At the same time, the Friendship 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 Satellite Hospital Project ended. The experts' training at the hospital helps identify any specific equipment and conditions that are lacking. They also guide us on how to respond, what equipment needs to be purchased, and how to improve those specific conditions."

In Nghe An province, besides the Provincial General Hospital becoming a satellite hospital of central-level hospitals, there are also the Oncology Hospital and the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Dr. Pham Vinh Hung, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Oncology Hospital, said: Since 2013, the Nghe An Oncology Hospital has been approved to become a satellite hospital of the National Cancer Hospital. Over the past two years, the National Cancer Hospital has organized many training courses for staff of the Nghe An Oncology Hospital. Ten technical categories such as head and neck cancer surgery, gastrointestinal and abdominal cancer surgery, gynecological and urological cancer surgery, and radiotherapy for some gastrointestinal and abdominal cancers have been transferred, in addition to several other necessary technical packages that the Nghe An Oncology Hospital has proactively requested. By becoming a satellite hospital, the reputation of Nghe An Oncology Hospital has been enhanced, the skills of doctors and medical staff have been improved, contributing to saving costs for patients and avoiding overloading higher-level hospitals... When the hospital's radiotherapy center is completed, Nghe An Oncology Hospital will essentially possess all the techniques available at the central level.

Dr. 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 effectively. Recently, on July 1, 2015, the Ministry of Health approved the addition of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to 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 to accelerate the adoption of techniques for treating congenital heart disease in children and pregnant women. The hospital will also save costs on sending staff for training compared to before..."

Becoming a satellite hospital has brought about many clear benefits. Provincial hospitals have grasped and mastered many advanced techniques from central-level hospitals, thereby providing better care and treatment for patients in the province. This then transfers these techniques to district-level hospitals, helping to improve the treatment capacity of doctors and medical staff at district-level hospitals. Patients' rights in healthcare are ensured, and lower-level hospitals help reduce the burden on higher-level hospitals. It can be said that becoming a satellite hospital encourages hospitals in Nghe An to invest in high-tech techniques, which has helped Nghe An successfully implement the project to build a high-tech medical center in the North Central region in Vinh City in recent years.

To further improve the overall quality of treatment, the People's Committee of Nghe An province is currently directing relevant agencies to finalize the "Project for the Construction of a High-Tech Medical Center in the North Central Region, Vinh City, Nghe An Province, giai đoạn 2015 - 2020" with three breakthrough areas to become a high-tech medical center. These are: Implementing radiotherapy techniques in cancer treatment, in-vitro fertilization techniques, and organ transplantation techniques.

Commenting on the proposal, experts all agreed that the Satellite Hospital Project should be given importance. Dr. Le Thi Thanh Tra stated: “To become a high-tech medical center, we need to clearly define our goals. These goals must truly meet the needs of the people and the demands of the disease pattern; we need to focus on cutting-edge areas on par with regional and international standards to achieve breakthroughs; for example, alongside organ transplantation techniques, we need advanced testing, paraclinical services, and preservation techniques. Becoming a satellite hospital to learn and implement cutting-edge techniques will build a brand and create a foundation for developing other techniques.” Dr. Pham Vinh Hung added: “We should find ways to expand and build more hospitals into satellite hospitals. We should identify high-tech techniques that we cannot perform in order to learn from them. With many satellite hospitals, the technical level will gradually rise. With many high-tech techniques, we will naturally become a high-tech medical center for the region.”

Nghe An has been identified as a high-quality medical center in the North Central region. Given the province's challenging economic situation, participating in the Satellite Hospital Network is entirely appropriate. If this project is implemented successfully, hospitals, doctors, and the people will undoubtedly benefit.

Thanh Son