Nghe An will increase the number of beds for two provincial hospitals.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of January 13, the Provincial People's Committee held a working session to listen to and give opinions on the proposal of the Department of Health to adjust the bed size of the Provincial General Friendship Hospital and the Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital.

Comrade Le Minh Thong - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired. Attending were representatives of the leaders of the departments: Construction, Home Affairs, Planning and Investment, Justice, Finance and Social Insurance of the province.

Overview of the working session.

According to the report of the Department of Health, the adjustment of the bed size of the General Hospital and the Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital is based on the practical requirement that the people's demand for medical examination and treatment is increasing, requiring both quantity and quality. Meanwhile, both of these hospitals are in a state of overload.

Director of the Department of Health Bui Dinh Long presented the practical and legal basis for adjusting the bed size of two provincial hospitals.

Currently, the Provincial General Friendship Hospital receives and treats a large number of patients every day, and the volume is increasing. The hospital was put into use in September 2014, with 900 beds, but the actual number of beds is up to 1,557, with a bed occupancy rate of 151%.

The Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital was initially planned to have 600 beds, but the actual number of beds is 913, with a bed occupancy rate of 193.8%.

The Provincial General Friendship Hospital was assigned 900 beds but the actual number of beds is more than 1,500.

On that basis, the Department of Health requests to adjust and expand the scale of hospital beds by 2020 for Nghe An General Friendship Hospital to 1,600 beds, of which 1,000 are public beds and 600 are socialized beds; Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to 1,000 beds, of which 800 are public beds and 200 are socialized beds.

In addition, a number of centers were established in hospitals based on upgrading departments such as: Cardiovascular Center, Stroke Center, Tropical Disease Center, High Technology Application Center, General Service Center under the General Friendship Hospital; Prenatal and Newborn Screening and Diagnosis Center, and Congenital Heart Disease Treatment Center for Children under the Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital.

Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital is often overloaded, especially during seasonal changes - Photo: Thanh Chung

At the meeting, representatives of relevant departments and branches basically agreed with the proposal to adjust and increase the number of hospital beds of the Provincial General Hospital and the Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital of the Department of Health. However, the adjustment must be made on the basis of adjusting and supplementing the planning for the development of the medical examination and treatment network of Nghe An province in the period of 2011 - 2020; closely following the standards and regulations on hospital construction (m²/bed) to calculate the appropriate construction area.

Concluding the meeting, comrade Le Minh Thong affirmed: Currently, the bed capacity of the Provincial General Hospital and the Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital both exceed the prescribed level, so adding beds to these two hospitals is reasonable.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Minh Thong concluded the meeting.

However, adding hospital beds comes with conditions regarding staff, doctors, staff, facilities, and financial capacity, so the Department of Health needs to coordinate with relevant departments and branches to develop a specific roadmap, suitable to the actual situation, and prepare a report to submit to the Provincial People's Council for discussion and approval in the upcoming session.

Along with increasing the number of hospital beds in provincial hospitals, the Department of Health also needs to come up with solutions to reduce the number of people going beyond the prescribed level, improve the quality of medical examination and treatment in district hospitals, commune, ward and town health stations, etc.

Minh Quan