Policymakers from Vietnam’s health care sector and experts from HarvardUniversity in the US, gathered in Hanoi on April 16 for a seminar todiscuss new methods and tools for Vietnam’s health care system and itsfinancial reforms.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that the VietnameseGovernment always prioritises health care to ensure the country’ssustainable development.
The country’s spending onhealth care represents almost 50 percent of State expenditure and everyperson nationwide now has access to health care services, said theminister.
Vietnam is currently striving to raisethe rate of the population who have health insurance to 70 percent by2015 and to 80 percent by 2020, she added.
She alsopointed out the shortcomings in health care services, as more than halfof health care and costs are paid by individuals and the allocation ofcapital in the sector is sporadic and complex.
Arepresentative from the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam pledged that the WBwill continue to support Vietnam ’s Ministry of Public Health toimprove the quality of its services.
Vietnam isone of the few countries to have fulfilled almost all of the UN’sMillennium Development Goals, said the representative. He suggested thatVietnam should introduce a long-term investment strategy to enableeach locality, ministry and sector to effectively implement thecountry’s health care policy.
Professor William Hsiaofrom Harvard University said that investment in health careimproves public health and has a direct impact on production, growth andattracting investment.
An increase of one year inlife expectancy will result in a 4-percent rise in the country’s GDPwith foreign investment and agricultural productivity up by 10 percent. A10 percent drop in the number of patients with malaria in the countrywill also result in a 10-percent increase in GDP, he added.
The Harvard University professors and academics also made manyrecommendations on how to renovate Vietnam ’s medical financialsystem.-VNA
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that the VietnameseGovernment always prioritises health care to ensure the country’ssustainable development.
The country’s spending onhealth care represents almost 50 percent of State expenditure and everyperson nationwide now has access to health care services, said theminister.
Vietnam is currently striving to raisethe rate of the population who have health insurance to 70 percent by2015 and to 80 percent by 2020, she added.
She alsopointed out the shortcomings in health care services, as more than halfof health care and costs are paid by individuals and the allocation ofcapital in the sector is sporadic and complex.
Arepresentative from the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam pledged that the WBwill continue to support Vietnam ’s Ministry of Public Health toimprove the quality of its services.
Vietnam isone of the few countries to have fulfilled almost all of the UN’sMillennium Development Goals, said the representative. He suggested thatVietnam should introduce a long-term investment strategy to enableeach locality, ministry and sector to effectively implement thecountry’s health care policy.
Professor William Hsiaofrom Harvard University said that investment in health careimproves public health and has a direct impact on production, growth andattracting investment.
An increase of one year inlife expectancy will result in a 4-percent rise in the country’s GDPwith foreign investment and agricultural productivity up by 10 percent. A10 percent drop in the number of patients with malaria in the countrywill also result in a 10-percent increase in GDP, he added.
The Harvard University professors and academics also made manyrecommendations on how to renovate Vietnam ’s medical financialsystem.-VNA
