Austria Pledges EUR12.5M to Help Modernize Vietnam Hospitals

The Austrian government will provide EUR12.5 million in official development assistance (ODA) for the second phase of a project on upgrading medical devices in Vietnam existing hospitals. An agreement to this effect was signed in Hanoi Aug 29, the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper reported Aug 30. Beneficiaries are the five health facilities run by the Ministry of Public Security, comprising 19-8, 30-4 and 199 hospitals, Public Security Hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The Austrian government earlier financed a total of EUR10.94 million for the first phase to help modernize the three 19-8, 30-4 and 199 hospitals. Early this month, the Vietnamese prime minister also approved a EUR17-million project to upgrade Hue Central Hospital using loans from the Austrian government to provide medical equipment for its cancer and tumor center. Vietnam now has 13,438 healthcare facilities with 200,000 sickbeds, including 1,063 public ones. (Cong An Nhan Dan – People’s Police Aug 30 p3, thanhtravietnam.vn Aug 29)