All communes in the Central Highlands have medical stations that provide basic healthcare services to ethnic minorities in the region, according to the Central Highlands Steering Committee.

The infirmaries recorded a 95 percent success rate for the expansion of immunisation programmes. The number of pregnant women visiting the medical stations for examinations increased, and common diseases in the localities, such as malaria, TB, goitre, and cholera, were brought under control.

Thanks to the efforts of the Central Highlands provinces, the number of medical staff at commune-level infirmaries increased to 18,325, approximately 3.5 times higher than in 2001. All the medical stations have paediatric nurses and midwives, and over 81 percent of have doctors.

In addition, the Central Highlands provinces provided training for traditional midwives on community-based healthcare services.

As a result, 30 percent of commune-level medical stations in the region met the national standards for healthcare, with Dak Lak province meeting 45 percent of the standards.

Local authorities urged the Government, relevant ministries and agencies to increase investments to repair and upgrade medical stations and provide them with equipment, and fund professional training for and recruitment of medical staff.

The Central Highlands region comprises Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum with a population of over 5.4 million people, 25.7 percent of which are ethnic minorities.-VNA