Delivering Quality Care to the Children of Viet Nam

The National Hospital of Pediatrics (NHP) is the anchor of paediatric medicine in Viet Nam. It is the preeminent specialty hospital that helps children with serious health problems in the northern and central regions. The hospital in Ha Noi is also the main teaching and training facility for health professionals who care for children throughout the country.

Given NHP’s central role, Atlantic is supporting a multi-year effort to expand and modernise the hospital, as well as improve the teaching, training and clinical skills of paediatric health professionals. Our grantees in this effort are the Royal Children’s Hospital of Melbourne, Australia (RCHI) for training and the East Meets West Foundation (EMWF) for construction support.

“We are developing new ways of working in a new hospital,” explains Professor Garry Warne of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Australia, who heads the international team charged with transforming the NHP. Professor Warne points out that his team has already improved clinical care. With minimal training from Warne’s team, the NHP now regularly prevents blindness among premature newborns.

Since 2005 Atlantic has invested approximately $15 million in the NHP, and, according to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Liem, the hospital’s Director, the Government of Viet Nam agreed to invest up to $30 million over the next four years to renovate and equip the NHP. “This represents a big down payment on what will be a $90 million project over eight years,” he added.

“Our partnership with the Ministry of Health will deliver the best care to the children of Viet Nam,” explains Duong Hoang Quyen, M.D., Programme Executive who oversees the project for Atlantic. “And our children are our future, so this is exactly what Viet Nam needs.”