Just 12 hours after undergoing a robot-assisted hysterectomy using the Da Vinci Xi surgical system made in the US at Tam Anh General Hospital, Martha, a 54-year-old American, was able to sit up, walk and eat normally.
Donald, a 67-year-old Canadian, also traveled to Vietnam for prostate cancer surgery after facing a two-month wait for an operation in his home country. Twelve hours after admission, he was transferred to a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room. Sixteen hours after surgery, he was able to stand and walk independently and was discharged 48 hours later.
Their cases reflect an emerging trend in Vietnam's healthcare sector, as international patients increasingly travel to the country not only to reduce treatment costs but also to access advanced surgical techniques that have often been available only at major medical centers in the US and Europe.
Each year, Tam Anh General Hospital receives thousands of overseas Vietnamese and international patients from the US, the UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and other countries for medical examinations and treatment. About 20 per cent of these cases involve robot-assisted surgery.
“We came to Tam Anh because we could access technology and medical expertise comparable to those at major centers, at a much lower cost”, Donald said.
Robot-assisted surgery at Tam Anh General Hospital currently starts at VND 85 million (approximately USD 3,000). The hospital says this is about one-tenth of the cost in the US or Singapore and half the cost in Thailand, with the highest professional standards and health insurance coverage available under applicable regulations.
Tam Anh General Hospital is the first and only facility in Vietnam to own two Da Vinci Xi surgical systems made in the US. It has performed nearly 500 procedures for cancer and other complex conditions in urology, gastrointestinal surgery, thoracic surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology.
Assoc. Prof. Tran Quang Binh, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of Tam Anh General Hospital Group in Ho Chi Minh City, said the group had invested hundreds of millions of US dollars in two new-generation Da Vinci Xi systems and supporting infrastructure.
The hospital has multidisciplinary specialists and 12 robotic surgery teams covering four specialties, with operating room, anesthesia, nursing and technical teams working to international standards, Binh said.
The hospital's doctors, nurses and customer care staff can communicate in multiple languages and provide medical record translation support, helping overseas Vietnamese and international patients feel more confident and comfortable receiving treatment in Vietnam.