Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has asked Hoan My Sai Gon Hospital in HCM City to adopt more advanced medical technologies and broaden application of IT.

The hospital has yet to use electronic patient records and non-cash payment services, which can reduce waiting time and improve quality of heath care, Tien said during a visit to the hospital on Tuesday.

She praised the hospital for its efforts to obtain high scores from the set of 83 criteria for hospital quality issued by the Ministry of Health.

“The hospital has a good reputation and high level of patient satisfaction, but that has resulted in a patient overload,” she said. “The hospital should strive to achieve Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation for international quality standards.”

The Government and the health ministry are encouraging private investment in the health care sector, especially healthcare services for insured patients, she added.

The hospital operated by Hoan My Medical Corporation receives an average of 50,000 patients a month, with the number of insured patients accounting for 54 per cent.

Doctors said that although the hospital is overloaded, it takes only 15 minutes for patients to register for health check-ups and meet doctors.

Huynh Le Duc, CEO of Hoan My Medical Corporation, said the corporation using the health ministry’s criteria for hospital quality to develop its network.

The corporation will continue to invest in professional practices and be more innovative in its health check-up and treatment procedures, Duc said. — VNS