The initiative is being implemented under the Ministry of Health’s Project 1816, which promotes the rotation of specialist staff from higher-level hospitals to support lower-level medical facilities and improve the quality of examination and treatment.
In 2026, a delegation from the Central Acupuncture Hospital assessed facilities, staffing and professional needs at Pleiku Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital to develop a tailored support program.
Dr. Nguyễn Duy Luật, Deputy Director of the Central Acupuncture Hospital, said Project 1816 aims to provide comprehensive support to lower-level healthcare facilities.
The cooperation program, running in three phases from mid-June to early August 2026, focuses on common conditions including neck and shoulder pain, periarthritis of the shoulder, back pain, sciatica and peripheral facial nerve paralysis.
From June 17 to July 3, Dr. Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, a Level II specialist and Deputy Director of the Center for Treatment and Care of Children with Autism and Cerebral Palsy, and MSc, Dr. Phan Hồng Ngọc of the Central Acupuncture Hospital directly examined patients and trained local doctors in techniques for treating neck and shoulder pain and periarthritis of the shoulder.
Dr. Thảo said the hands-on approach to technology transfer enables local medical teams to quickly acquire advanced techniques and improve treatment outcomes.
“Not only does this benefit medical staff, but support programs from higher-level hospitals also allow local residents to access advanced medical techniques in their own communities”, she said.
“Many patients who previously had to be referred to higher-level hospitals can now receive examination and treatment locally, significantly reducing travel and accommodation costs, as well as waiting times”.
The initial implementation of Project 1816 at the hospital has received positive feedback from patients, many of whom have been examined, advised and treated directly by doctors from the Central Acupuncture Hospital.
Lưu Thị Lam, a resident of Pleiku Ward, said her grandchild, who has had cerebral palsy since childhood and received treatment in several places, was recently examined by doctors from the Central Acupuncture Hospital without the family having to travel far.
“The doctors explained the condition in detail, which gave our family much greater peace of mind”, Lam said. “I hope there will be more support programs like this so that Gia Lai residents can access advanced treatment techniques here in the province”.
Trần Quang Chỉ, Director of Pleiku Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital, said the hospital considers the integration of traditional medicine, modern medicine and rehabilitation a long-term strategy for improving treatment effectiveness.
Cooperation with leading hospitals, he said, provides an important opportunity to acquire new techniques, strengthen professional capacity and better meet local healthcare needs.
Pleiku Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital has also expanded cooperation with specialised medical facilities in the region.
In mid-May 2026, Quy Nhơn Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital provided professional and technical support to staff at the Pleiku hospital, focusing on techniques including low-level intravascular laser therapy and “hỏa long cứu”, a traditional fire therapy technique.
Dr. Võ Ngọc Phải, Director of Quy Nhơn Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital, said the two institutions would continue comprehensive cooperation in technology transfer, consultations on difficult cases, treatment protocol development, training and human resource development.
The cooperation is expected to strengthen the professional capacity of medical staff and improve the quality of traditional medicine-based healthcare services in the province.