As a specialised medical centre for the Mekong Delta, Can Tho faces the dual task of expanding its capacity for medical examination and treatment, developing advanced medical techniques, and ensuring primary healthcare and preventive services.
Can Tho's tertiary hospitals serve local residents and receive large numbers of patients from provinces and cities across the Mekong Delta. However, allocated budgets, hospital beds and qualified human resources remain limited.
Hoang Quoc Cuong, director of the Can Tho Department of Health, said one of the most evident obstacles was the slow progress of major healthcare projects. The Can Tho City Oncology Hospital project, with 500 beds and a total adjusted investment of more than VND2 trillion (US$77.2 million), is behind schedule: about 7.1 per cent of this year's allocated capital had been disbursed after the first nine months of 2026.
With several months remaining in 2026, the city must resolve coordination problems among contractors, construction organisation and capital disbursement before the facility can open.
Pressure is also mounting on primary healthcare and preventive medicine. In the first nine months of this year, Can Tho recorded nearly 6,000 dengue fever cases, more than double the figure for the same period last year. Hand, foot and mouth disease cases rose by approximately 1.5 times.
At the same time, administrative restructuring expanded the scope of grassroots management, while staffing and equipment for disease prevention and control remain limited. Some chemical sprayers have deteriorated or broken down.
The absence of complete economic-technical norms, unit prices and financial mechanisms for some services not covered by the Health Insurance Fund has made it difficult to implement these programmes. Financial pressure is directly affecting some public healthcare facilities. The transition to financial autonomy has made it difficult for some units to balance income and expenditure. Some facilities also face obstacles in securing emergency and rare medicines because suppliers have suspended deliveries.
Aligning mechanisms and unlocking resources
According to the Can Tho Department of Health, hospitals have implemented electronic medical records at a basic level. However, information technology infrastructure at some health stations is inadequate, and personnel responsible for technology and information security do not yet meet requirements. Connecting and integrating health data into shared systems also faces obstacles. The proportion of electronic health records integrated into VNeID has reached just over 30 per cent.
Digital transformation in healthcare depends on investment in equipment. It is also linked to infrastructure, human resources and the ability to share data across different levels of the system.
Director Cuong said the sector would continue investing in infrastructure, equipment and new techniques in the coming period. It also needs resource allocation mechanisms that match the city's role as a specialised medical centre for the region. The health sector called for coordinated action to remove obstacles related to finance, investment, human resources and data.
The health sector has proposed prioritising local budget allocations and increasing the share of public investment for preventive medicine and primary healthcare during 2026-2030. The city will also explore a resource allocation mechanism that matches its function as the specialised medical centre of the Mekong Delta.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep, deputy chairwoman of the Can Tho People's Committee, said the city would focus in the coming period on reviewing major projects, especially the 500-bed Oncology Hospital project. Particular attention is needed for construction organisation, faster capital disbursement and adjustments to capital plans in line with actual implementation capacity.
The health sector has proposed reviewing and reducing this year's local budget capital plan by approximately VND300 billion (US$11.5 million) to keep the disbursement target achievable.
Alongside investment resources, human resource policy is essential. The health sector is working with relevant agencies to improve mechanisms for attracting, remunerating and retaining highly qualified doctors and healthcare workers in the public sector.
In the long term, removing obstacles in resource allocation, public investment, finance, human resources and digital transformation will be necessary for Can Tho to improve healthcare quality for its people and strengthen its role as a regional specialised healthcare hub in the Mekong Delta.
Sources: Vietnam News, report on healthcare development in Can Tho
Sources: Viet Nam News
