Patients have more convenience when seeing a doctor after hours

Holding the test results of her father and son, Nguyen The Thanh (37 years old, Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh) hurried to the initial clinic to read the results. It was already past 5 pm, and Thanh was worried that she would have to stay overnight for the doctor to read the results tomorrow.

Ms. Thanh shared that her 13-year-old son had sinusitis, rhinitis and calcium deficiency, and despite treatment, it did not improve. Her husband often had rashes and swelling on his body, so she also wanted to check whether his liver and kidney functions were affected. The family arranged their work and took a bus from Ha Tinh at 9 p.m. yesterday to Bach Mai Hospital for a check-up.

"At 5:30 a.m. we were at the hospital, then waited for our turn to be examined and have tests done.

Because both father and son went to the clinic, there were many tests to be done, and my husband had to have a colon ultrasound, so we had to wait until 5pm for the results. When I returned to the clinic, I was quite surprised to see that there were still many patients waiting to be examined.

The staff said that the hospital examination will be held until 9pm today, so my father and I will be able to read the results today. After the examination, my family will go home that night, which will save us the cost of staying in Hanoi for a day," Thanh said excitedly.

Ms. Thanh added that the hospital opening additional visiting hours like this would be very convenient for patients, especially those from far away provinces like her. Patients can go home the same day, saving on other costly expenses.

Also present at Bach Mai Hospital from 5:00 p.m., Ms. Pham Thi Luu (54 years old, from Hai Duong province) shared that when she heard that the hospital was offering after-hours examinations, she and 5 of her friends rented a car to go to the hospital.

"I work in an office so I don't have much time during office hours. So when I heard that the hospital had evening examinations, I invited everyone to come and see me. I think that evening examinations help people have more options for examination times, without affecting their daily work," said Ms. Luu.

Pushing her husband in a wheelchair to the 6th floor to wait for the examination, Ms. Ho Thi Nhung (33 years old, from Nghe An) shared that the couple had just taken a bus from Nghe An to Hanoi at 4:30 p.m. Her husband, Mr. Phong, had fallen a few weeks ago.

"These past few days, my leg has been hurting more. My husband and I planned to go to the hospital tomorrow morning, but we were heartbroken. We learned that the hospital would be open all evening from today, so we went this afternoon. It's also less crowded at this time, so we'll probably be examined faster," Nhung hoped.

People proactively choose their time to go to the doctor.

On the first day of implementing after-hours medical examination, the number of people coming for medical examination was not too crowded. Examination rooms and testing rooms are located in the same building.

At the reception desk, Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang, a hospital employee, said that today, 70 to 80 patients had registered online via the hospital hotline and website. As of 6 p.m., 150 people had registered for medical examination. Most of the patients came from provinces such as Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, etc.

According to Mr. Vu Van Giap, deputy director of Bach Mai Hospital, when the hospital provides after-hours medical examinations, many Hanoians, especially office workers, come to see a doctor, limiting the impact on daily work.

The hospital has fully equipped specialized clinics during office hours such as endocrinology, gastroenterology, musculoskeletal, respiratory, neurology, nephrology, cardiology, infectious diseases, hematology, intensive care, obstetrics, pediatrics, ENT, maxillofacial, ophthalmology, etc.

According to doctors, from 5pm to 9pm every Monday to Friday, people will have enough time to do X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, medical examinations... Medical service prices remain unchanged.