Regional polyclinic: Investing billions, operating like a medical station

(Baonghean) - Currently, many regional polyclinics are facing difficulties in providing health care to people in their areas of responsibility, due to a lack of synchronous investment in both human and material resources.

“Abandoned” area clinic

Pha Danh - Huoi Tu Regional General Clinic is located right on National Highway 16, the route connecting Muong Xen town (Ky Son) to Pha Danh, Huoi Tu, Muong Long, My Ly communes and to Tuong Duong and Que Phong districts; it is invested quite modernly according to the miniature hospital model with a total cost of nearly 11 billion VND.

The clinic has a total area of ​​over 6,000m2, with 21 rooms including a 2-storey building for examination and treatment, a garbage storage room, a garage, and a water tank; performing the functions of examination, medicine dispensing, and inpatient treatment, helping people reduce the difficulty of traveling and contributing to limiting the overload of district hospitals.

Pha Danh - Huoi Tu Regional Clinic (Ky Son) is empty of patients.

After nearly 2 years of operation (March 2014), each day the Pha Danh - Huoi Tu Regional General Clinic only receives about 10 patients for examination, medicine and then goes home; no one stays for inpatient treatment. With few patients, the clinic's medical team only assigns 1 person to serve. Investigation into the cause found out: In addition to the system of rooms and the medical team of 5 people, the clinic does not have essential facilities for examination and treatment.

Or more accurately, in the early days of the clinic's operation, Ky Son District General Hospital brought in some modern equipment and then had to take it away because the clinic had no electricity to operate. The clinic's medical staff said in frustration: "I don't understand why the project invested tens of billions of dong, but there is not even a power station?"

Another reason for the clinic’s ineffective operation is the distance to residential areas. According to the initial survey, the clinic was to be built in Huoi Tu commune, but due to lack of land and water, it was moved to the border between Pha Danh and Huoi Tu communes. At the new location, the clinic is 8 km from the nearest residential area of ​​Huoi Tu commune, and 15 km from the farthest place in Pha Danh commune. The road is too far, patients would rather choose the commune health station, or if they are willing to go, they would have to travel another 15 km to the district general hospital.

Doctor Moong Thi Tham - Deputy Director of Ky Son District General Hospital said: Maintaining the Pha Danh - Huoi Tu Regional General Clinic is a waste of both human resources and facilities. This is also the situation at the Chieu Luu Regional General Clinic. The hospital has proposed many times to stop the operation of the regional clinics but has not received the consent of the Department of Health.

"Stamping" on the commune health station

Different from the current situation in the general clinics in Pha Danh - Huoi Tu and Chieu Luu areas, the Nam Nam Regional General Clinic (Nam Dan district) has promoted its function of examining and treating people in the 5 communes of Nam Cuong, Nam Trung, Khanh Son, Nam Kim and Nam Phuc quite well.

The clinic has 15 beds, 1 doctor, 3 nurses, 1 midwife and 1 pharmacist; on average, 30-40 people come here for medical examination and 5-10 people come for treatment every day. Located near the foot of Yen Xuan road bridge (Nam Cuong commune area), since the health insurance line was opened, the clinic has also received patients from Duc Tho district (Ha Tinh) and Hung Nguyen district for medical examination and treatment.

Ms. Le Thi Hai - a resident of Hamlet 3, Nam Cuong Commune, came to Nam Nam Regional General Clinic for a medical examination and said: "The doctors and nurses at the clinic are enthusiastic and have good expertise, so every time I have a slight pain or cold, I come here to see the doctor and ask for medicine for treatment."

Although highly appreciated by the people, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Nguyen - Head of the clinic, admitted that the quality is "fairly average". Dr. Nguyen said: The clinic lacks a lot of medical equipment, the electricity is unstable, many requests have been made but no investment has been made. Staff is also lacking, the clinic asked for an additional ultrasound specialist but has not yet received one.

With few doctors and lacking modern equipment, the Nam Nam Regional General Clinic only provides initial medical examination and treatment - equivalent to the commune health stations in the area (which have been invested in a systematic and modern manner). With the lack of human and material resources, when there are serious patients, the regional clinic cannot provide treatment and must transfer them to hospitals in Vinh City (15km away).

Medical examination and treatment at Nam Nam Regional Clinic.

Located in the same area of ​​Nam Cuong commune, Nam Nam Regional General Clinic is "stepping on the toes" of the commune's Health Station in terms of functions and tasks. Doctor Bui Van Sen - Head of Nam Cuong Commune Health Station suggested: "The province, industry, and district should invest in upgrading Nam Nam Regional General Clinic to the level of a miniature hospital. If it only stops at the level of a health station as it is now, it is a huge waste of people and money."

Mr. Sen's proposal is difficult to implement at the present time, because according to Mr. Hoang Van Hao - Deputy Director in charge of Nghe An Department of Health: "The province and the industry are aware of the shortcomings of current regional polyclinics, but investment is facing difficulties due to lack of capital."

Thanh Son - My Ha