More opportunities for cancer patients

Gamma knife surgery center (Hue University Hospital of Medicine and Pharmacy) has just officially introduced gamma knife to serve. This opens a new direction for the medical industry, adding more opportunities for patients, reducing treatment costs .

Talking to PV , Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Van Luong - Dean of HASTC - said:

Minister of Health Tran Thi Trung Chien (third from right) , Mr. Pham Van Luong (second) and doctors check and prepare for the first operation with body knife for patient patients (48 age, in Hue city) there are two metastatic liver tumors (Photo: Dinh Toan)

- Gamma knife surgery center (Hanoi University of Medicine Hospital) was established in September 2005 (located at 41 Nguyen Hue, Hue City), becoming the first synchronous gamma knife center of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Before adding a gamma knife to the service, this place only treated cranial neurosurgery (mostly tumors) with the first gamma knife, but there were more than 500 patients treated and most of them had results good.

* Sir, what are the advantages of the gamma knife treatment process compared to other methods?

- Gamma stem knife used to treat tumors in the body such as cancer, tumors of the liver, esophagus, lungs, mediastinum, rectum, kidney .

In fact, the surgery of brain tumors with gamma knives at the beginning of the time showed that, compared to open surgery methods, the surgery of body tumors with gamma stem is quite safe, effective, very little variable. and no death. Indications for extensive treatment with malignant tumors (primary - localized and metastatic tumor growth) and benign in the neck, chest and abdomen, both in patients with tumors in complex locations. Patients also do not need anesthesia, no risk of infection, no bleeding or pain during surgery .

* What is the cost of gamma knife treatment?

- The current package cost is 30 million VND / treatment case, only 1 / 5-1 / 6 compared to foreign countries. In the immediate future, in the first 100 treatment cases, we will reduce by about 1/3, about VND 20 million / shift.

Particularly for health insurance patients, the Ministry of Health has just approved the health insurance to pay for patients treated with cranial neuralgia. For gamma knife body, after treating the first 100 cases (currently on average 4 shifts / day), we will report to the Ministry of Health to apply for health insurance payment according to this regulation (health insurance is paid 60 % - equivalent to VND 18 million, patients pay 40% - equivalent to VND 12 million). Patients with special circumstances we can reduce treatment costs by 20-50%.

PERFECT implementation