FV Hospital a private health leader

FV Hospital oversees the treatment of 200,000 patients every year

“Thoughtful and whole-hearted” was the review given by Ngo Thi Giang, a 42-year-old woman living in Ho Chi Minh City, after nearly 10 months of treatment of breast cancer at FV Hospital. “I am in good condition now and can firmly move on from this. Coming to FV was a sound decision,” she happily noted.

Remembering April last year when she learned that she had breast cancer, Giang told VIR, “I was surprised, sad, and shocked when I got the news, but I quickly accepted the situation and began to seek qualified treatment.”

At that time, she was wavering between going to Singapore for treatment or seeking prestigious services at home. “I made comparisons between FV Hospital and those Singaporean establishments and found that there are big similarities. Eventually, I decided to choose FV Hospital because of its international standard services, medical proficiency, state-of-the-art equipment, and comfortable atmosphere,” she explained.

Along with N.G, many other cancer patients have been gaining good treatment results at FV Hospital. Nguyen Thi Lan, 54, living in Ho Chi Minh City, has now recovered after a year of treatment at the Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre.

“My sister booked an air ticket for me to go to Singapore for treatment, but I refused so I could seek treatment at home. I went for a medical examination at some hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City. I selected FV Hospital because of its medical proficiency and state-of-the-art equipment,” Lan said.

To bring the best possible services for cancer patients, in 2018, FV Hospital invested $5.3 million to make the Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre one of the most modern cancer centres in Southeast Asia. Besides synchronous and complete investment in the scale of facilities, modern equipment, and the international team of medical doctors and treatments, FV Hospital also announced a collaboration with HCG – the largest provider of cancer care in India – with its network of more than 20 comprehensive cancer centres across India and Africa.

Over nearly 20 years of operation, the centre has provided treatment for tens of thousands of cancer patients with a high success rate, with many keeping healthy after five, 10, or even 15 years of treatment. Even then, they are still monitored at the facilities.

Highest standards

Vietnamese people are increasingly more trusting in private-run healthcare services at home, instead of thinking about public facilities or going abroad as they often did in the past. This added trust has been made possible by FV Hospital’s team of dedicated personnel and medical professionals, who always give top priority to safety and quality of patient care.

This was once again reflected as the COVID-19 pandemic appeared on the horizon. FV Hospital has been on the frontline of Vietnam’s response to the situation, applying for a testing licence from the Ministry of Health and creating a dedicated wing for coronavirus-screening and treatment, all carried out to the same standards that have helped to build FV Hospital’s reputation over the past 17 years.

Even more recent was the life-saving work on a Filipino crew member on Tuvalu’s Northern Endeavour vessel, who had acute appendicitis when crossing the waters of the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau in early February.

With the ambitious goal of achieving and retaining Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation – the world’s leading healthcare accreditation with the most rigorous international standards in quality and patient safety – FV Hospital has been ceaselessly making efforts and investments in modernising facilities and better service quality.

With all-out efforts, FV Hospital celebrated its JCI accreditation in 2016 as the first healthcare facility in southern Vietnam to win this certificate. Three years later, after a week of re-evaluation, FV Hospital was accredited for the second time.

It was not by accident that FV Hospital was selected to serve as the backup hospital for US President Barack Obama during his two-day visit to Ho Chi Minh City in 2016. FV Hospital then attained recognition from the White House Medical Unit for its outstanding services.

World-class services

CEO of FV Hospital, Dr. Jean-Marcel Guillon

FV Hospital has won various accolades, motivating it to continue its efforts. These awards include Vietnam Hospital of the Year 2017 and 2019 by Global Health and Travel Awards; and also in 2019, FV Hospital was given an award of excellence in hospital quality management at the Hospital Management Asia conference.

FV was also the first hospital in Vietnam to promote medical tourism to attract overseas patients to visit for treatment, collaborating with different hospitals in other countries to bring doctors to FV Hospital to treat patients and exchange knowledge with its resident doctors.

The international ranking and prestige of FV Hospital today reflects the great efforts among FV staff and the expertise of key leaders.

Back in 1997, Vietnamese authorities decided to encourage foreign investment in the healthcare sector to meet the needs of Vietnamese by offering them higher standards of healthcare services and reduce the burden on public hospitals. CEO Dr. Jean-Marcel Guillon and a group of nine fellow French doctors seized on this opportunity to act. Dr. Guillon travelled many countries, met hundreds of people, gave numerous presentations, and carried boxes of mail to the post office to send thousands of letters to doctors to raise funds to invest into the project. In all, nearly 500 French doctors become shareholders of the hospital.

The Phu My Hung area in the latter years of the 20th century was not the modern and high-end urban area it is today, but Guillon and his friends turned this wild swamp into a dream come true. In 2003, FV Hospital, the first international hospital in Vietnam, was inaugurated with the vision to become one of the leading medical providers in Asia.

Over the past 20 years, FV Hospital has created an ideal medical working environment attracting more than 1,000 employees including over 130 full-time doctors from many countries. And today, the hospital now receives more than 200,000 patients a year, most of them Vietnamese but also many expatriates too.

The hospital increased its investment from $44 million when it opened to $65 million more recently for buying more equipment, building another consultation centre, opening a clinic in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, renovating and expanding the outpatient consultation area and paediatric ward, and opening the first one-stop-shop Check-Up Centre in Vietnam.

Through these results and more, FV Hospital is an example of successful private participation in the healthcare sector, and has justified the decision by the Vietnamese government to encourage foreign investment in the healthcare industry.