CDC Vietnam Partners with Vietnam to Improve Healthcare at District Hospitals

On March 27, 2014, the Nam Dinh Health Department of held a workshop to present the results of a pilot project to improve health care services at district-level hospitals in Nam Dinh province (northern Vietnam). With funding from PEPFAR and technical support from the CDC and FHI 360, in collaboration with the Vietnam Administration for Medical Services/Ministry of Health (VAMS) and the Nam Dinh Health Department, the project enhanced the capacity of hospitals in Nam Dinh by strengthening the management of laboratories, improving the quality of laboratory testing, and strengthening the skills of laboratories and doctors to collaborate, interpret, and use testing results. Participants also discussed lessons learned, strategies, and plans for scaling-up the project in the future at the workshop.

In her opening remarks to representatives of health departments from neighboring provinces, Deputy Director of VAMS Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa said, “Provincial health systems play an important role in health care for local people and help reduce overloading at higher level hospitals. The Ministry of Health has directed all health facilities to build a management system to improve the quality of hospitals and laboratories, which would improve the quality of health care services for patients. This project to improve the quality of district-level laboratories in Nam Dinh is an effective model and should be replicated and studied for learning purposes.”

In Vietnam, district hospitals have limited resources and capacities, often limiting the ability of district hospitals to provide adequate primary health care, resulting in overcrowded provincial and national hospitals. The two years of training and technical support provided to laboratories in 11 Nam Dinh districts strengthened the quality of laboratory services and hospital services by improving the management of procedures, equipment, safety, and test results.