Da Nang has put into operation its first cardiovascular centre after 3 years of construction, offering services and treatment for patients from the city as well as the central and Central Highlands provinces.

The first cardiovascular care centre in Da Nang. — VNS Photo Cong Thanh

The 10-storey centre, which was built on an area of 3,560sq.m on downtown Hai Phong Street with an investment of 236 billionVND (11.23 million US$), will provide cardiovascular examinations, treatment and surgeries for in-patients with 200 beds.

Da Nang General Hospital Director Le Duc Nhan said the introduction of the centre will provide more chances for heart disease patients in central Viet Nam. Most cardiovascular patients in the region are currently sent to Hue General Hospital – the only premium cardiology centre in the region – for treatment or surgeries.

Director Nhan said the centre would secure more investment in the second stage for better service and treatment for patients in the near future.

A doctor performs a heart check-up for a child in a hospital in Da Nang. — VNS Photo Ngoc Oanh

According to the Viet Nam Heart Association, 450 in 1,000 people in Da Nang have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

According to the Viet Nam National Heart Association, 25% of the Vietnamese population aged more than 25 years suffers from hypertension and heart disease. It said the elevated level is due to over-consumption of fatty food and alcoholic drinks.

The central and Central Highlands region has been struggling with a lack of understanding of basic cardiovascular health and hypertension in communities, deficient funding for preventive programmes and a lack of up-to-date facilities for treating heart disease.

Da Nang has 11 hospitals, 4 of which meet international standards, with 1,000 doctors and more than 620 consulting rooms and care centres.

Doctors from the city- based Hoan My Hospital said 57,000 children had received heart screenings at the hospital in 2017 and 2018. 900 were diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

More than 1,600 patients were given cardiovascular surgeries at the Da Nang General Hospital between 2013 and 2016.

(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)