Ho Chi Minh City unveils $192.4mn plan to expand advanced cancer treatment

The municipal Department of Health said on Friday that the city would continue prioritizing resources for the hospital in response to growing demand for cancer care.

The investment is intended not only to address immediate challenges involving overcrowding, radiotherapy capacity and advanced diagnostics, but also to develop a leading oncology hospital for Ho Chi Minh City and southern Vietnam.

Accordingly, the five major public investment projects will be carried out during the 2026-30 period, financed by the state budget.

The projects comprise a new high-tech disease screening facility, procurement of specialized medical equipment, procurement of a cyclotron and a single-energy linear accelerator system, a new proton therapy center and auxiliary facilities for patients.

Rather than being isolated investments, the projects are designed to strengthen the hospital’s capabilities as a comprehensive top-tier cancer center that can cover screening and early diagnosis, multimodal treatment, advanced radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and patient support throughout the treatment process.

Among the five projects, the procurement project for specialized medical equipment is expected to go to tender no later than the first quarter of 2027.

Meanwhile, the dossiers of the remaining projects might be completed and submitted to the competent authorities for consideration during the 2026-27 period.

Cyclotron to help secure PET/CT radiopharmaceutical supplies

The VND587-billion ($22.6-million) procurement of a cyclotron and linear accelerator is particularly significant as supplies of radiopharmaceuticals used for PET/CT scans remain limited.

Once completed, the cyclotron system will enable the hospital to become more self-reliant in supplying radiopharmaceuticals for its two PET/CT systems while also expanding radiotherapy capacity to meet growing patient demand.

In the longer term, the cyclotron could also help supply radiopharmaceuticals to other medical facilities in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces and cities.

More oncology hospital facilities planned

Under current proposals, the city’s list of healthcare public-private partnership (PPP) projects includes the construction of a 700-bed Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital facility in the Ba Ria area, along with projects to establish high-tech screening and diagnostic centers at the Tan Kien and Thu Duc medical clusters.

In addition, under the 2026-30 medium-term public investment plan, the municipal Department of Health has registered a project to build a Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital facility in Binh Duong.