Tens of thousands of poor people in the southern province of An Giang have access to reasonably-priced health services thanks to a medical support project in the Mekong delta region. Thank to the project, which is conducted by the Health Ministry, 59,505 people living under or just at the poverty line have received free health insurance and access to healthcare consultancy services. Heart surgeries have been carried out for many children under six years old and the elderly. The project has also supported the management and treatment for psychopaths in eight communes of An Phu, Tinh Bien, Tri Ton and Thoai Son districts. As part of the project, 115 medical workers have been supported to undertake tertiary education and specialized training courses. In addition, the provincial polyclinic and the An Giang preventive medical centre have been provided with modern equipment to improve their diagnosis and treatment capacity. Apart from An Giang, the project has also provided assistance to the other 12 cities and provinces in the Mekong delta. Kicked off in September 2006 and expected to complete by the end of 2011, the project has a total investment of $85 million, taken from the official development assistance (ODA) commitment to Vietnam. The funding allocated to An Giang is more than $6.4 million, of which the majority or over $4.96 million has been disbursed in 2010.
