Minister of Health clearly states 3 reasons why Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital 2 are 'shelved'

In a petition sent before the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, voters of Ha Nam province continued to request the Government to resolutely direct relevant ministries and branches to find solutions to soon put the second facility project of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital and Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Nam into operation, in order to reduce the number of patients at the central level and facilitate medical examination and treatment for people in neighboring provinces.

Responding to a petition from voters in Ha Nam province, in a recent document, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the investment project to build the second facility of Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital was implemented with many goals, including contributing to reducing overload at central hospitals and reducing the number of people having to go abroad for medical treatment.

The Minister of Health said that to date, contractors have completed over 90% of the construction of infrastructure and architecture. The project is divided into EPC packages (design, construction, supply, installation of equipment); applying the type of contract with adjusted prices.

However, during the implementation process, the project encountered difficulties in adjusting the contract price, leading to the contractor stopping construction from December 2020 to present.

The head of the health sector said that the delay in the projects was primarily due to the fact that these were large projects in the sector, and that this was the first time the EPC model had been applied, so the Ministry of Health and contractors had not fully anticipated the difficulties and problems when implementing projects using this model.

In addition, the investor's capacity is still limited; they do not clearly understand the importance of contract law and do not have experience in managing EPC contracts.

Not to mention, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected public investment activities. The Ministry of Health has to focus all its forces on epidemic prevention and control, so it cannot focus on resolving difficulties and problems arising from projects.

According to the Minister of Health, problems in adjusting contract prices have resulted in the investor being unable to pay the completed volume to the contractor, because during the construction process, the design had to be adjusted. to add some departments, change some functions and structures according to the request of Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital to suit professional requirements.

In addition, the initial contract did not clearly stipulate the principles, methods and scope of contract price adjustment, so when adjusting the design, there was not enough basis to adjust the contract price.

According to the Minister of Health, the contractor resumed construction in early November 2024. After the competent authority approves the treatment plan, the Ministry of Health will resolutely direct the investor and contractors to urgently focus maximum resources to implement the construction. ensure completion of construction projects in 2025.

Regarding the two projects of Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital 2 in Ha Nam, on January 8, the Government Inspectorate announced the decision to inspect these projects. The inspection period is from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2024, and may be reviewed before or after this period if necessary. The inspection period is 40 working days (excluding Sundays, holidays, and Tet) from the date of announcement of the inspection decision.

Previously, on December 31, 2024, when announcing the results of the 27th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity, Deputy Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission Dang Van Dung said that General Secretary To Lam requested an inspection of these two projects, with conclusions to be drawn before March 31, 2025.