Many Vietnamese people have apparently been losing confidence in locally-trained doctors and have been seeking medical care abroad, several medical experts said.
Many domestic doctors as competent as foreign ones
People often seek foreign medical treatment for cardiovascular, blood vessel and digestion problems, cancer, and aesthetics, experts said at a recent seminar on the issue in HCM City.
Even though doctors in Vietnam have been successfully applying advanced technology in operations as complex as heart and eye transplants, the country’s health industry as a whole has yet to gain wide confidence.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Phu, Deputy Director of People 115 Hospital, said there was a large disparity recorded between domestic and foreign medical service costs.
“It cost only VND90 million for a hernia joint replacement, while the procedure costs six times that in Singapore. Prices for a coronary angiography in Vietnam is only VND8.4 million but it costs up to VND64 million in Singapore. Prices of some other, more rare procedures can reach up to ten times Vietnamese prices in Singapore," Phu noted.
The price disparity, hospital overcrowding, complicated bureaucratic procedures, substandard equipment and infrastructure, poorly-trained doctors and the attitudes of medical professionals have all proven to cause those who can afford it to seek medical attention elsewhere.
According to many doctors at public hospitals, the way those facilities are run does not allow them to make full use of their skills.
Meanwhile, many private hospitals with modern technology and good financial resources are in desperate need of highly trained staff.
A patient undergoing treatment in Vietnam after surgery abroad
“Vietnam is facing a fierce competition in terms of medical services with South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and China,” said Associate Professor, Dr. Le Hanh.
Professor Phan Thanh Hai, Director of MEDIC Medical Centre, blamed the situation on the country’s inadequate medical policies.
“For years, the government has used a portion of tax revenue to pay for public hospitals. However these major medical institutions have also experienced widespread overcrowding. That's the major reason well-off people prefer to seek treatment in other countries. On the other hand, the private medical facilities have yet to meet the demand for high-tech, high-quality medical services,” Hai commented.
He added that the government should work on taking measures that would facilitate the modernisation of both the public and private institutions.
