HA NOI (VNS) – Central hospitals offer better services than provincial and district hospitals, but are still only performing at an average level, according to a recent Ministry of Health (MOH) assessment.
Based on a set of 83 criteria issued by the MOH in December, the assessment aimed to improve hospital services and increase patient satisfaction. The criteria relate to patient care, workforce development, professional quality, quality improvement and professional knowledge.
Last year, hospitals carried out self-assessments in which they ranked their performance on a scale of five, from bad to very good, using these criteria. The ministry sent inspectors this year to re-assess them.
The results from self-assessments and the ministry’s assessments did not vary considerably, said Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy director of the MOH’s Medical Services Administration, adding that the average score was 3.18 out of 5.
He portrayed this fact in a positive light, telling Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper, “We consider the moderately good level a foundation to strive for good and very good levels.”
The most common problem among the hospitals was overcrowding.
Pham Manh Than, head of the General Planning Division at Ha Noi’s Saint Paul Hospital, said that the hospital tried to create better conditions for waiting patients, but was limited to repairing the health examination ward and adding chairs and fans. Other criteria would take a long time to meet, such as patients not having to share their beds or having soap to wash their hands.
The MOH intends to add 20-40 criteria related to vaccination safety and capacity for coping with epidemics to the list. Some hospitals also proposed criteria related to professional quality and professional knowledge. – VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News