HCMC hospitals struggle since they don't use IT efficiently: experts

Patients wait to be examined at Binh Dan Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Khanh An

Ho Chi Minh City’s public hospitals need to make better use of information technology to improve their services since a patient has to wait for 10 hours on average to be examined, experts said at a conference in the city Saturday.

Vu Anh Tuan, general secretary of the HCMC Computer Association, said most hospitals do not use information technology efficiently.

“Vietnam’s medical system needs effective IT use to better manage patients’ records, reduce the waiting time and improve examination and treatment services,” he said.

Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of the city health department, said, “Cloud is not widely used.”

The city with more than 10 million inhabitants has a total of 113 hospitals with nearly 34,400 beds.

“A medical network that provides healthcare services for millions of people needs an advanced information technology system for better treatment,” Thuong said.

According to a survey by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, city hospitals examine and treat 40 million people annually.

On average, a patient has to wait around 10 hours for being examined and a doctor sees around 90 patients a day.