Can Tho Obstetrics Hospital was established in 2014 from the separation from Can Tho General Hospital. This is a first-grade hospital with 250 beds (planned to be doubled to 500 beds). It has 21 departments and the Center for Antenatal and Neonatal Screening - Diagnosis.
Efforts for development and positioning
Before Can Tho Obstetrics Hospital was founded, every year thousands of people in Can Tho City and neighboring provinces in the Mekong Delta region had to go to Ho Chi Minh City for examination and treatment of complicated diseases of pregnant women or access to advanced techniques such as infertility and prenatal diagnosis. And, they had to spend a lot of money, time and health for this.
To solve this problem, Can Tho General Hospital proactively brought together obstetricians from some local hospitals to acquire advanced technology such as laparoscopic surgery, laparoscopic hysterectomy, and intrauterine insemination and established the Department of Infertility in 2010. This was the 13th unit in the country and the first in the Mekong Delta to apply in-vitro fertilization (IVF) technique with a quite high success rate.
In 2012, with training support and technology transfer from National Obstetrics Hospital, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City and Tu Du Hospital, Can Tho General Hospital set up a prenatal diagnostic unit to provide counseling, designation and testing for prenatal and neonatal diagnostic tests. In 2013, the General Office of Population and Family Planning surveyed and selected this unit for upgrading to the Center for Antenatal and Neonatal Screening - Diagnosis to serve patients in the Mekong Delta.
Those important milestones laid the foundation for establishment of Can Tho Obstetrics Hospital on September 9, 2014. In October 2019, the Can Tho City People's Committee recognized it as a first-grade hospital, the largest obstetrics and gynecology hospital in the Mekong Delta.
To date, the hospital has always taken the lead in successfully applying endoscopic techniques to diagnosis and treatment of gynecological diseases, especially laparoscopic surgery for ovarian, uterine tumors and pelvic inflammatory diseases; expanding newborn screening techniques such as congenital heart disease and congenital hearing impairment; and deploying high technology in in-vitro fertilization and maternal care services.
In 2019, it applied the technique of screening congenital metabolic disorders for 50 patients (only Hanoi and Hue are able to perform this technique). In the field of neonatology, currently the hospital has adopted feeding techniques, mechanical ventilation, high-frequency ventilation, umbilical vein catheterization. It can raise a baby weighing over 550 grams and having a gestational age of about 27 weeks (32-week or older fetus has a survival rate of over 90%). Thereby, it helps protect infertility treatment outcomes.
In addition, the hospital has performed all common serious diseases during pregnancy such as placenta accreta, pre-eclampsia, placenta previa, cesarean scar pregnancy, mid-pregnancy heart disease and mid-pregnancy liver disease. It can perform examination, emergency, treatment and care for endogenous newborns to reduce the workload for Can Tho Pediatrics Hospital.
The hospital organized in-depth training on antenatal and neonatal screening - diagnosis as well as direction and supervision processes for health workers in 12 Mekong Delta provinces. It also built a network to receive test samples with dried blood drops on blotting paper from neighboring provinces and then transfer them to Antenatal and Neonatal Screening - Diagnosis Center. Screening results are provided through software to produce timely diagnosis, and ensure effective disease management and prevention.
At the same time, the hospital has stepped up health socialization policy to gain financial autonomy. Hospital quality management was focused and upgraded from Level 3 in 2015 to Level 5 in 2019. In 2018, through an independent survey by the Ministry of Health, the hospital was one of five leading units in the country with the highest satisfaction index.
Given those results, in 2019, the hospital was recognized by the Ministry of Health as "Excellent hospital for breastfeeding practice", and was awarded the Emulation Flag by the Prime Minister and the Certificate of Merit from the Vietnam Women's Union.
Further improving quality and scale
Senior Specialist Physician Nguyen Huu Du, Director of Can Tho Obstetrics Hospital, said, in the 2020 - 2025 period, the hospital will continue to effectively carry out the On-demand Examination and Treatment Project, Loan Socialization for Development of Services Project, self-contained services and reproductive health care needs. It will establish some more departments such as Gynecological Cancer, Endoscopic Surgery, and Pathology.
To achieve the above objectives, the hospital will continue to improve facilities to have 500-700 beds, further train employees, especially through international cooperation. Recently, it cooperated with MEET (U.S.) to send two doctors to short-term intensive training in obstetrics, gynecology and fertility at the University of Washington.
Besides, to develop techniques for in-vitro fertilization and to establish a fertility support center, in 2020, the hospital held an intensive seminar on IVF techniques and introduced 10 years of application, with 770 babies born with this technique.
In addition, after being upgraded, the center can treat all cases of neonatal diseases and preterm pregnancy; speed up prenatal screening diagnosis; and build operating rooms that meet standards of the Ministry of Health and soon international standards.
“We will continue to standardize principles and conducts of medical staff, enable patients to access services and increase patient satisfaction and confidence. We will affirm our hospital's brand reputation and increasingly elevated position to be a completely trusted address for pregnant women and patients in the Mekong Delta region,” said Director Nguyen Huu Du.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
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