Can Tho (VNA) – The Stroke International Services (SIS) Hospital,the first of its kind in the Mekong Delta, was put into official operation inCan Tho city on February 20.
The100-bed hospital was built at a cost of 500 billion VND (21.5 million USD) withstate-of-the-art equipment, said Tran Chi Cuong, the hospital’s director.
Cooperatingwith international medical schools and hospitals like the US-based Universityof Tennessee and Erlanger Regional Stroke Centre, as well as the Canada-based Universityof Toronto, the SIS Hospital is expected to become a training centre fordomestic and foreign hospitals in the cardiovascular and stroke field.
Dr.Nguyen Huy Quang, Director of the Ministry of Health’s Legal Department,highlighted the significance of the hospital, saying it has opened upopportunities for people in the Mekong Delta to access high-quality medicalservices.
Localpatients will no longer have to travel 200km to Ho Chi Minh City for stroketreatment, he said, noting that the hospital is also hoped to promote thedevelopment of relevant sectors.
Cuongsaid the SIS Hospital aims to reach international standards, but its serviceprices will be much lower than other international hospitals.
Ofnote, the hospital will provide canoe transport services to patients, he said,adding that it will offer medical check-ups and treatment for patients withhealth insurance cards in the time to come.
Statisticsshow that there are an average of 200,000 stroke patients in Vietnam everyyear.
Themortality and disability rate is still high due to a variety of reasons,including hospitals limited in endovascular intervention capacity and the late hospitalisationof patients. In particular, there are more than 10,000 cases of stroke patientsin the Mekong Delta region, with a higher rate of mortality and disability thanbig cities like HCM City.–VNA