​(News Portal – Dong Nai) – Mr. Le Quang Trung, Director of the Department of Health, stated that Dong Nai's healthcare system is widely distributed across the province's 11 administrative districts. It includes 2 provincial general hospitals, 3 regional general hospitals, 4 specialized hospitals, 11 district-level healthcare centers, 2 sub-departments, 4 provincial-level specialized centers, 159 commune-level health stations, and a network of hamlet and neighborhood healthcare facilities. 

Healthcare workers from Dong Nai CDC vaccinate citizens. 

A Growing and Improved Healthcare Network

The private healthcare sector in Dong Nai is also thriving, with 7 private general and specialized hospitals, 90 general clinics, and over 1,700 specialized clinics and healthcare service providers.

The healthcare workforce in Dong Nai comprises over 9,800 staff members, including nearly 3,300 doctors. This equates to a ratio of 9.7 doctors per 10,000 residents, ranking Dong Nai second in the Southeast region, following Ho Chi Minh City. The province has more than 10,100 inpatient hospital beds, equal to 30 beds per 10,000 residents.

While this workforce largely meets the needs for preventive care and treatment, many facilities still face a shortage of nursing staff, which affects comprehensive patient care. Additionally, healthcare personnel and facilities are unevenly distributed, with a concentration in Bien Hoa City and areas with a high density of workers. Some districts, such as Vinh Cuu, still lack sufficient personnel, particularly general practitioners and specialists at commune-level health stations.

In the past, around the year 1975, Dong Nai's healthcare sector consisted of only a few small-scale hospitals and poorly equipped facilities. Today, the province boasts modern hospitals furnished with advanced equipment and well-trained medical professionals. This progress has significantly improved the ability to care for the health of the population.

Both public and private healthcare facilities have achieved significant milestones, such as obtaining ISO 15189:2022 certification for laboratory management systems. Dong Nai General Hospital has received Diamond-level certification, and Long Khánh Regional General Hospital has achieved Platinum-level certification for stroke treatment. Many advanced surgical procedures, once only available at central hospitals, are now routinely performed in Dong Nai, such as open-heart surgery, minimally invasive heart surgery, cardiovascular interventions, and microsurgery.​

District-level hospitals are also making significant advancements, successfully implementing high-tech procedures like laparoscopic surgery and dialysis. This ensures that citizens can access high-quality healthcare services close to home.

A surgical operation conducted by doctors within the province. 

Strengthening Primary Healthcare

Over the years, the healthcare workforce in Dong Nai has upheld the guiding principles of their profession, inspired by the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh, the Hippocratic Oath, and Hai Thuong Lan Ong. Numerous medical professionals have demonstrated exceptional dedication to patient care. Many have been honored with prestigious titles such as "People's Physician," "Outstanding Physician," or "Labor Hero."

The ethical commitment of healthcare workers was especially evident during the Covid-19 pandemic - a period of immense difficulty for the sector. Healthcare professionals devoted their full strength, even risking their lives, to control and successfully combat the pandemic for the well-being of the community.

In step with the digital transformation movement, Dong Nai's healthcare sector began using hospital management software as early as the 2000s. Today, this system is relatively advanced. Many hospitals have implemented cashless payment systems, remote medical consultations, appointment scheduling, remote diagnostics, automated result delivery via SMS, and electronic health records.

Long Khanh Regional General Hospital became the fourth hospital in Vietnam to implement electronic medical records, reducing administrative burdens for healthcare workers and giving them more time to care for patients.

Digital transformation has also advanced specialized fields, particularly imaging diagnostics. Laboratory test results can now be shared across healthcare levels, eliminating the need for repeated testing and enabling more accurate patient monitoring through comprehensive data. Imaging technologies facilitate faster, more efficient interactions between doctors across different facilities.

For instance, instead of carrying physical X-ray films from one hospital to another, patients now benefit from a system where these images are digitally accessible. Doctors can easily review medical histories to make accurate diagnoses.

AI technology further supports doctors by providing tools for fast, accurate, and timely diagnoses and treatment plans, reducing errors.

Policies for primary healthcare have undergone significant changes. Medications, equipment, supplies, and techniques are no longer allocated strictly by healthcare level but rather based on the actual needs and capabilities of individual facilities. This improves the quality of healthcare services at the primary level, creating better working conditions and income opportunities for healthcare workers, which in turn helps attract skilled professionals to these facilities.

To further develop primary healthcare, the Department of Health emphasizes the importance of enabling grassroots healthcare staff to enhance their expertise through substantial and effective support from higher-level facilities. This involves experienced professionals from higher-level hospitals providing on-the-job guidance to lower-level staff. Currently, provincial hospitals are assisting district hospitals within designated areas, yielding positive initial results. More citizens now trust and choose primary healthcare services.

By the end of 2025, Resolution 34 of the Provincial People's Council, which provides support for healthcare workers in Dong Nai, will expire. The Department of Health plans to evaluate the resolution's impact and propose its extension to ensure healthcare workers feel secure in their roles. 

Healthcare staff at Tan Hiep Commune Health Station input health insurance treatment data into the system.  ​