(VOVworld) – The Ministry of Health today held a seminar on implementation of a project on satellite hospitals to help ease the overload of central hospitals.

Since 2005, satellite network of major central hospitals have been created to improve medical services, especially in mountainous and remote areas. According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien,  the overload at big hospitals results in low quality medical services, poor hygiene, and  dissatisfaction among the medical staff. Project 1816 has helped ease the overload by transferring medical procedures to local hospitals, enabling central hospitals to concentrate on medical research. Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien: "Thanks to the project, local hospitals can deal with cases using more advanced techniques and central hospitals have more time to specialize in research activities. With dedicated specialized medical staff and assistance from local authorities, medical treatment at local hospitals will be much improved.

The model of satellite hospitals is expected to be expanded nationwide.