The event was attended by Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, seven general hospitals signed agreements to provide comprehensive support to seven regional medical centers in the city's northern area.
Under the program, the hospitals will assist the regional medical centers in hospital management, workforce development, continuing medical education, technology transfer, quality management, clinical process improvement, electronic medical records, digital transformation, scientific research and quality culture development.
The partnership program will help regional medical centers gradually strengthen their governance, workforce and professional capacity, paving the way for their development into basic-level general hospitals once they meet the required standards, Associate Professor Dr. Tang Chi Thuong said.
The latest agreements ensure that all 12 regional medical centers in Ho Chi Minh City receive comprehensive support from general hospitals, while Ho Tram Regional Medical Center and the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Center will continue to be staffed by rotating specialists from the city's tertiary hospitals.
The city said the initiative lays the foundation for developing a network of basic-level general hospitals across Ho Chi Minh City in 2026, while creating a more integrated healthcare system following the recent administrative restructuring.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said the model reflects the city's strategy of building a "multi-tier, multi-polar and multi-center" healthcare system, expanding expertise from leading hospitals to local healthcare facilities so that residents, including those in remote and island areas, can access quality medical services.
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Phuoc Loc praised the comprehensive partnership between hospitals and regional medical centers, describing it as a concrete step toward building a modern, integrated healthcare system centered on people's needs.
Citing the direction of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam on protecting and improving public health, he said the city's health sector should prioritize strengthening primary healthcare, improving treatment capacity and ensuring that all residents have fair and convenient access to quality medical services.
With the city's growing population and increasing healthcare demand, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc said Ho Chi Minh City must build an integrated healthcare network in which hospitals serve as centers of medical expertise while regional medical centers provide frontline primary care.
He stressed that support should go beyond technology transfer to include workforce training, telemedicine consultations, hospital management and standardized clinical procedures to improve the capacity of grassroots healthcare facilities.
The most important goal is to build an integrated healthcare network operating effectively at every level so residents can access quality medical services early and close to home, he said.
Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc urged the participating hospitals to view the program as a long-term responsibility to the city's healthcare system by providing sustained support through concrete initiatives. Beyond technical assistance, he said, the partnerships should help build a capable healthcare workforce while fostering a culture of learning, knowledge sharing and continuous quality improvement.
He also called on the municipal Department of Health to further strengthen coordination mechanisms, accelerate digital transformation, expand teleconsultation and remote training, establish performance indicators for the partnership program, and continue investing in infrastructure, medical equipment, human resources and governance mechanisms suited to the city's post-restructuring development.
The ultimate goal is to build a sustainable healthcare system that is balanced across all levels, strengthens primary healthcare, reinforces public confidence in grassroots medical services, and ensures that every resident has access to quality, equitable and convenient healthcare, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc said.
