Promote satellite hospitals and remote medical examination and treatment

The Ministry of Health is promoting the implementation of satellite hospital projects, remote medical examination and treatment, technology transfer and line management to ensure the quality of medical examination and treatment at medical facilities nationwide.

Medical news March 20: Promoting satellite hospitals and remote medical examination and treatment

The Ministry of Health is promoting the implementation of satellite hospital projects, remote medical examination and treatment, technology transfer and line management to ensure the quality of medical examination and treatment at medical facilities nationwide.

Ministry of Health promotes satellite hospitals and remote medical examination and treatment

The program "For a Healthier Vietnam" has provided free medical examinations to thousands of patients in Lai Chau province. Patients were examined for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases, ultrasound, electrocardiogram, blood sugar and blood lipid tests, breast cancer and lung cancer screening, and many other medical services completely free of charge.

The "For a Healthier Vietnam" 2025 program aims to improve the quality of health care, especially for remote and disadvantaged communities.

This is one of the important activities in the strategy to improve the quality of health care, especially for remote and disadvantaged communities of the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at the program, Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, said that 2024 will mark important steps forward in improving the quality of health services in Vietnam. In 2025, the Ministry of Health will continue to implement synchronous solutions to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment and people's satisfaction.

In particular, the Ministry of Health is promoting the implementation of satellite hospital projects, remote medical examination and treatment, technology transfer and implementing line-level guidance to ensure the quality of medical examination and treatment at medical facilities nationwide.

Deputy Minister Thuan emphasized that improving health care for people, especially those in disadvantaged areas, is always a priority for the health sector. However, due to geographical conditions, limited medical facilities and human resources, people still have difficulty accessing quality health services.

This free medical examination and treatment program in Lai Chau is a testament to society's concern for people in disadvantaged areas.

The program not only provides medical examination and treatment services but also demonstrates the health sector’s commitment to improving the quality of life and health of ethnic minority communities. These people often face challenges in accessing quality medical services, and the program is the Ministry of Health’s continuous effort to address this issue.

"The program is also a deep commitment in the health sector's continuous efforts to improve the quality of life and health of ethnic minority communities," affirmed Professor Thuan.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan also emphasized the importance of solidarity and determination in building a fair, transparent and pioneering health system in the new era.

He also expressed his belief that the slogan "Solidarity, discipline, innovation, development" will be the foundation for the Vietnamese healthcare system to continuously develop and effectively protect public health.

The "For a Healthier Vietnam" program in 2025 is a series of activities following the success of programs implemented since 2024.

Spinal surgery using modern, minimally invasive techniques

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son, Head of Spinal Surgery Department, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, introduced an advanced surgical method to help minimize risks for spinal patients. This new technique not only helps minimize invasion but also reduces the risk of impact on nerves, helping patients recover quickly.

This surgical method uses small incisions and is performed using a lateral approach instead of the traditional posterior approach.

This helps to limit "impact" on the nerve and minimize possible complications, including bleeding and infection.

Patients have a very short hospital stay after surgery, usually one day, and can stand up immediately afterwards. They can be discharged after 3-4 days and walk normally after about 3-4 weeks.

Recently, in a training session, Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son and his colleagues performed a demonstration surgery for the doctors participating in the course. The patient was a woman over 40 years old, suffering from spondylolisthesis and had suffered from persistent pain for many years. After ineffective internal medicine and oriental medicine treatment, the patient was treated with minimally invasive lateral oblique surgery.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son said that this method not only helps reduce pain and improve the patient's quality of life but also ensures absolute safety during surgery.

"Approaching from the oblique side will help avoid the risk of nerve damage, while minimizing serious complications such as infection or bleeding," Associate Professor Son emphasized.

Since 2022, Viet Duc Hospital has applied this minimally invasive spinal surgery technique, helping patients recover quickly and reducing the risk of neurological complications. This method is currently being applied in many countries around the world thanks to its high efficiency and safety.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son also shared that this is a specialized technique that requires doctors to have solid experience. Therefore, Viet Duc Hospital always organizes training courses to transfer this technique to doctors, in order to bring the best treatment opportunities to patients.

Doctors participating in the training course not only discussed patient selection criteria but also practiced on models and directly observed surgeries from leading experts.

With the goal of increasingly improving the quality of surgery and patient care, Viet Duc Hospital hopes that this method will be widely disseminated, helping patients have more safe and effective treatment options.

Beat Thyroid Cancer with Early Detection and Treatment

Ms. H., 54 years old, had been living with a hard lump in her neck for a month, but did not expect that it was a warning sign of a dangerous disease. When she went to the hospital for a check-up, she discovered that she had multinodular goiter, one of which was malignant.

In early February, Ms. H. began to notice a small lump in her neck. At first, she thought it was just a benign lymph node that would disappear on its own. However, after two weeks, the lump grew larger and became painful when pressed.

Master, Doctor, Specialist Phan Vu Hong Hai, who directly treated the patient, said that the ultrasound results showed that Ms. H. had a multinodular goiter, with a large thyroid nodule, suspected of bleeding and causing pain. Some nodules had suspicious characteristics of malignancy, especially in the isthmus (the area right in front of the neck, at the back of the thyroid).

Dr. Hai said that based on the ultrasound results, most of Ms. H's thyroid nodules were likely benign. However, with suspicious malignant features such as solid nodules and calcification, the doctor decided to perform surgery to remove a lobe of the thyroid gland.

During the surgery lasting more than 2 hours, the medical team separated and removed the thyroid nodules, preserving important nerves and blood vessels.

Ms. H. recovered quickly after surgery and did not experience any serious complications such as hoarseness or numbness in her limbs. She was discharged from the hospital just two days after surgery and continues to be monitored.

A week later, the pathology results showed that Ms. H. had many colloid thyroid nodules ranging in size from 0.5 cm to 3 cm, including one malignant thyroid nodule measuring only 3 mm, diagnosed as early stage papillary thyroid carcinoma of the follicular variant. This is a form of cancer with a good prognosis if treated promptly.

According to MSc. Dr. Le Thi Ngoc Hang, a specialist in Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, thyroid cancer often has no obvious symptoms in the early stages.

Often, the disease is only discovered by chance through ultrasound or when the patient goes to see a doctor for another disease. Some signs may appear when the cancer has progressed, such as a lump in the neck, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, or hoarseness.

Doctors recommend that people with risk factors for thyroid cancer such as family history, thyroid diseases such as goiter, thyroiditis, Basedow's disease, or a habit of smoking, drinking alcohol, or being overweight or obese should have regular health check-ups and thyroid cancer screening.

To prevent thyroid cancer, everyone should maintain a healthy diet, including plenty of green vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains and fiber.

At the same time, limit canned foods, bad fats, supplement iodine in the diet, and especially do not abuse alcohol or tobacco. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular health check-ups are very important for early detection and timely treatment.

Ms. H.'s situation shows the importance of early detection and timely treatment of thyroid cancer. If the patient can detect it early and apply the appropriate treatment method, the patient's prognosis is very good, with a 5-year survival rate of over 98%.

Doctor Phan Vu Hong Hai recommends that patients with symptoms or risk factors for thyroid cancer should see a doctor early and receive timely treatment to avoid dangerous complications, while protecting their health and maintaining the best quality of life.

Second degree burns from falling asleep while sunbathing

Recently, a serious case of second-degree burns was recorded when Mr. TDL (28 years old) fell asleep while sunbathing on the deck of a ship, leading to serious skin and health damage.

This story is a warning about the risks of sunburn when not using proper skin protection, especially on hot days.

Mr. L., while traveling from the mainland to Phu Quy Island (Binh Thuan) by speedboat, went out to the deck to sunbathe and enjoy the breeze. However, because he fell asleep for 2 hours (from 10am to 12pm), he did not realize that he had been exposed to direct sunlight during the time when UV rays were at their highest intensity. When he woke up, he felt his skin burning and uncomfortable, with many areas of his face, abdomen and chest red and sore.

Although he thought the condition would go away on its own like the previous times, after three days, Mr. L's condition not only did not improve but also became more serious. His facial skin began to peel, his eyes were swollen, his chest and abdomen were red and sore, accompanied by itchy and uncomfortable blisters.

Doctor CKI Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, who directly treated the patient, said that Mr. L. had irritant contact dermatitis and second-degree sunburn.

This is a skin condition caused by prolonged exposure to high-intensity sunlight, especially between 10am and 4pm, when UV rays are strongest. This condition can increase the risk of other dermatological problems such as brown spots, skin aging, and even skin cancer.

For treatment, Dr. Dung prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamin PP and moisturizer for Mr. L. At the same time, he was also instructed on how to take care of his skin such as bathing in cool water, drinking plenty of water, limiting scratching the burned area and avoiding direct exposure to sunlight.

According to Dr. Dung, the South is currently in the hot season, with high temperatures and UV rays. Tam Anh General Clinic in District 7 has received 2-3 cases of sunburn every day in recent times. Most of the burns are on areas such as the face, neck, arms, and legs, while second-degree burns like Mr. L.'s are the most serious.

To avoid sunburn, doctors recommend that people use sunscreen with a high SPF, wear hats, sunglasses and protective clothing when going out, especially during peak UV hours (10am - 4pm). Furthermore, on hot days, direct exposure to sunlight should be limited to protect the skin from unnecessary damage.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tin-moi-y-te-ngay-203-day-manh-benh-vien-ve-tinh-va-kham-chua-benh-tu-xa-d256549.html