General Hospital of Agricultural transferred to Viet Duc University Hospital

A historic moment shaped by circumstance

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep, the event marks a “historic moment” for the General Hospital of Agricultural after nearly 60 years of development from a medical unit serving a limited group of officials to an institution with nearly 800 staff members, handling close to 2,000 patient visits daily.

“The integration of a general hospital into a leading specialized hospital is not merely an organizational change; it opens up development opportunities for both sides,” Hiep said. “It can also be described as a matter of fate one that will serve as the foundation for a sustainable partnership between the two institutions.”

He also praised both hospitals for their approach of “respecting the past while adapting for the future,” emphasizing the importance of building on established traditions while continuing to enhance professional capacity and morale. This transition, he noted, requires staff and medical personnel to pursue continuous training and self-improvement to adapt to the new environment.

“The goal of this merger is to build a new system that operates more effectively and efficiently than before. The new hospital’s environment, position, and mode of operation must improve, ultimately delivering greater benefits to the public,” he added.

From the health sector’s perspective, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan described the event as highly significant, marking not only the completion of an organizational restructuring process but also the beginning of a new phase of development.

A hospital with a long-standing tradition like the General Hospital of Agricultural, he said, will now continue its legacy within a larger system, while Viet Duc University Hospital gains the capacity to further enhance its scale, quality, and leadership role.

Thuan also commended generations of staff and physicians at the General Hospital of Agricultural for their enduring contributions, noting that their values - expertise, dedication, discipline, and commitment - will continue to be carried forward in a more demanding and ambitious environment.

“For Viet Duc University Hospital, receiving these facilities is not simply about expansion. It is an opportunity to shape a modern hospital model, one that is not only strong in technical expertise but also in system organization, governance capacity, and professional leadership,” he said.

Strategic directions for development

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan outlined several key priorities for Viet Duc University Hospital following the transfer. First, he called for the development of an integrated network of healthcare facilities, with each site clearly assigned functions to avoid overlap. The central hospital would maintain its role in highly specialized care, while newly integrated facilities would expand capacity for patient intake, treatment, rehabilitation, and flexible patient coordination.

Improving the medical services must remain the top priority, he stressed, noting that expansion is meaningful only if accompanied by corresponding improvements in care. “People need not only more access points for healthcare, but also better, faster, safer, and more humane services,” he said.

He also emphasized the need to modernize hospital governance through data-driven management and system-wide standardization, covering quality control, human resources, finance, and operations, to ensure unified and coherent functioning.

At the same time, expanding the system must go hand in hand with strengthening training, scientific research, and technology transfer. A strong hospital, he noted, is not one that keeps knowledge to itself but one that disseminates it across the entire system.

Finally, he highlighted the central role of human resources. The hospital must foster a professional, humane, and cohesive working environment that motivates staff and reinforces a shared sense of responsibility and aspiration, guided by the principle that “to go far, we must go together.”

“If implemented effectively, this merger will not only expand the capacity of a single hospital but also strengthen the entire healthcare system, moving toward better, more equitable, and more efficient public service,” Thuan said.

Putting patients first

Representing nearly 800 staff members of the General Hospital of Agricultural, Acting Deputy Director Do The Hung expressed deep gratitude to the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as well as its predecessor, for their consistent support and guidance, which laid the foundation for the hospital’s development.

He also thanked generations of staff for their unity and dedication, along with the Ministry of Health and Viet Duc University Hospital for their trust.

“In this new environment, under the name Viet Duc University Hospital - Ngoc Hoi Branch, our staff are committed to maintaining unity, enhancing medical ethics and professional expertise, and fulfilling our mission to care for and protect public health. We will also continue to serve as a trusted healthcare provider for personnel in the agriculture and environment sectors,” Hung said.

Director of Viet Duc University Hospital Duong Duc Hung emphasized that the evolution of the General Hospital of Agricultural from a small clinic to a large-scale institution, is a testament to sustained support from the agricultural sector over time.

He added that integrating the hospital system will help reduce pressure on the central facility while strengthening professional connectivity across the network.

“With its strengths in specialized care, Viet Duc University Hospital will elevate professional quality, while the general practice model of the General Hospital of Agricultural will complement areas where a specialized surgical hospital may be limited. This synergy will create added value, with patients as the ultimate beneficiaries,” he said.

He also affirmed that, following the merger, the hospital is committed to further development in order to meet the expectations of both ministries and the public.