A panel discussion at the conference on strengthening ‘Public-Private Partnership for sustainable healthcare transformation’ in Hanoi on May 18. (Photo: VNA) Opening the event, the newspaper's editor-in-chief Le Trong Minh said that Vietnam'shealth sector faced many challenges, such as increasing infectious andnon-communicable diseases, hospital overcrowding, shortage of supplies andequipment, the ageing population as well as the disparity between regions andhealthcare levels in terms of quality of medical services and standardisationof modern equipment.
“For the health system to be capable and always ready to respond to futuresituations, towards a comprehensive and sustainable health care system, it isnecessary to have new investment orientations in social resources for thehealth system, as well as stronger cooperation from the parties involved,including the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) method,” said Minh.
At the event, MPI deputy minister Tran Duy Dong said it was very important tomobilise financial resources for new investments in infrastructure andequipment to improve quality in the health sector and meet people's healthcareneeds. In many countries around the world, the application of the PPP model inthe health sector has contributed to solving the shortage of capital resources.
“In Vietnam, the 12th Central Committee’s Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW dated October25, 2017, emphasised the promotion of PPP investment method in public services,especially health services. The PPP Law, which the National Assembly passed in2020, has created a stable legal environment for PPP projects and raisedconfidence for the community of investors and businesses, especiallyinternational investors," he said.
However, Dong stressed, that the implementation of the PPP law still faced manyshortcomings. PPP projects are implemented mainly in several key areas:transportation, energy, clean water supply, wastewater, and waste treatment.Such projects have not yet been implemented or have not been appliedsuccessfully in agriculture, health care, education, culture and sports.
“Although this (health care) is a potential field, it has not yet attractedmany investors. From 2019 to now, there have been no more investment projectsin the form of PPP in the health sector. Therefore, the conference will be anopportunity to review the policy framework for implementing investment projectsin the form of PPP in the medical field. From there, we can identifyopportunities and challenges in implementing the PPP model in the healthsector,” added Dong.
According to statistics from the World Bank, as of 2019, there were 58 projectson the list of PPP projects in the health sector that were proposed. However,in these projects, only 13 projects have reached the stage of thepre-feasibility study report, six projects have reached the stage of thefeasibility study report, five projects have reached the stage of bidding andselecting investors, and two projects remain at their signing stage. PPPprojects in the health sector are mostly concentrated in a few cities andprovinces, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City.
AstraZeneca Vietnam chairman and general director Nitin Kapoor said to enhancethe health system’s sustainability, and it is needed to uplift the capacity ofthe grassroots health network and primary healthcare so that non-communicablediseases (NCD) can be managed more proactively and effectively in thecommunity.
“We also need to build a strong domestic pharmaceutical industry to enable Vietnamto have self-reliance in terms of treatments and solutions, to ensure fasteraccess for local communities,” said Kapoor.
Kapoor also committed to supporting Vietnam by supplying vaccines andinnovative medicines and investing nearly 600 billion VND in R&D andclinical trials, as well as 2 trillion VND in tech transfer and contractmanufacturing of some of key non-communicable disease medicines in the next fewyears.
Phillip Alexander Wray, director of DKSH Pharma Vietnam, is also committed tobeing a trusted partner to the Vietnamese Government and contributing towardthe sustainable healthcare development of Vietnam.
“Joining the health ministry’s effort to realise the digital transformationplan 2025-2030, DKSH can offer support in digitising the patient engagementexperience with a paperless process via our PSPhere solution, which has alreadybeen launched in many markets," said Wray.
"PSPhere is the digital solution that connects all stakeholders involvedin delivering healthcare to patients while ensuring patients are at the centreof the experience. This means that beyond-the-pill services, such as homenursing, remote monitoring devices, digital therapeutics and telemedicineservices can be delivered in an integrated manner, and patients can get thesupport required outside of a clinical setting.”
According to Fitch Solutions, healthcare spending in Vietnam is expected toreach 23 billion USD by 2022, while BMI Research's report also shows that thepharmaceutical industry can reach 16.1 billion USD in size by 2026./.
VNA
