Hospital plan looks in better health

Intracom has taken the project over from Yukjin and aims to build a modern hospital complex and support facilities located in Tu Liem district’s Co Nhue commune. The project scale and investment capital would be unchanged upon the acquisition.

The local construction firm will hold a 90 per cent stake in the venture with the remaining held by South Korea’s Fair Enterprising.

Yukjin had expected to modify United State’s John Hopkins hospital to fit the $198 million Vietnam project named Kwang Myung Hospital.

Though the project was licenced in September 2005, the South Korean company had difficulty mobilising resources due to the global financial crisis.

In April this year, the Hanoi People’s Committee issued a decision to designate Intracom as the new land user. The project is now called Phuong Dong Medical Complex or Oriental Medical Complex.

The decision stated that the land would be reclaimed if the new investor could not implement the project after 12 months from the date that the land was handed over.

Speaking with VIR last week, Co Nhue People’s Committee vice chairman Nguyen Tien Hung said land clearance and compensation were being processed.

Although the database for compensation was transferred from the old investor, a large part of the database has been outdated and would have to be rebuilt.

Hung said though the people’s committee Decision 108/2009/ QD-UBND regarding land compensation and resettlement support in the city offers more incentives to local people, many people remained unsatisfied with the compensation.

“We know local residents’ demand never stops, thus, we will have to negotiate with them and encourage them to obey the regulation,” he said.

Hung said administrative procedures for land clearance and compensation would be finished by the year’s end. These figures would then be submitted to Tu Liem district People’s Committee, to carry out compensation.

“We are actively coordinating with local authorities on compensation and the project could be started next year,” he said.

Located on 9.5 hectares, the complex will consist of 57 high tech medical departments and 1,000 beds. “We estimate we will receive around 6,000 patients every day and help reduce the current overload of hospitals,” the source said.

The complex will be divided into seven main parts, including a main building, two support buildings, an in-hospital treatment area, a funeral service area, sports facilities and a square used for public activities and events.

He added that the complex could appeal to foreigners given its 25 kilometre proximity to Noi Bai airport and 15km proximity to Hanoi’s centre. It is also not far from the Ciputra and upcoming West West Lake urban complexes, home to many expats in Vietnam.

Moreover, a 10-metre-wide road linking Pham Van Dong road to the project’s site was just opened by  the Hanoi People’s Committee.

The hospital aims to attract foreigners who are working and living in Vietnam, instead of flying to other neighbouring countries for treatment.

It also aims to lure high-income Vietnamese who currently prefer Hong Kong or Singapore for medical treatment.

Vietnam now has only some small scale international medical centres such as the FV Hospital and Columbia Asia in Ho Chi Minh City and the Hanoi French hospital in Hanoi.