Ho Chi Minh City seeks to become a regional medical destination

Ho Chi Minh City is working toward becoming a regional medical destination for international patients, according to Associate Professor Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health. The city aims to leverage its existing medical capabilities to attract foreign patients by developing a comprehensive policy package.

Key strategies include establishing centers of excellence in specialized fields such as cardiology, oncology, surgery, robotic surgery, assisted reproduction, pediatrics, and dentistry. To meet international standards, the city intends to support hospitals in obtaining global accreditations like JCI, AACI, and ACHS, while standardizing patient safety and infection control.

Proposed policy changes also include allowing public hospitals to set and disclose service prices for foreign patients based on full cost accounting and offering package-based treatment services. Recent medical successes, such as a successful cardiac catheterization performed by doctors from Tu Du Hospital and Children's Hospital 1 on a Singaporean patient, serve as examples of the city's growing clinical capacity.