First int’l general hospital opens in Cần Thơ

HCM CITY — The SIS Cần Thơ International General Hospital (Cardiovascular Stroke Hospital), the first intensive-care hospital for emergency stroke intervention and cardiology in the Mekong Delta region, opened on Thursday in Cần Thơ City.

Dr. Trần Chí Cường, the hospital’s director, said the facility is equipped with high-end ultrasound machines for diagnosis of congenital heart disease, a 128-slice CT scanner, and a blood vessel scanner, among others. 

The 100-bed hospital, which has an investment of VNĐ500 billion (US$21.5 million), will be expanded to 200 beds in the near future. The hospital specialises in the treatment of heart disease and stroke. 

Dr. Nguyễn Huy Quang, director of the Ministry of Health’s legal department, said that stroke patients in the region would lose the “golden time” of treatment if they had to travel more than 200km to HCM City. 

Dr. Trần Chí Cường said the hospital has international standards, but service prices would be at a much lower level than hospitals of the same level. 

The hospital is also equipped with boats that can transport patients quickly on waterways in the Mekong Delta.

Construction on the hospital, which covers 13,000sq.m, started in July, 2017 and was completed in 18 months.

The hospital also provides high-tech musculoskeletal surgery, congenital heart intervention, early diagnosis of cancer, and treatment of arrhythmia with advanced technologies. 

According to statistics from local authorities, more than 97 per cent of the 10,000 stroke patients each year in Mekong Delta provinces arrive too late at hospitals, resulting in disability or even death. — Khanh