Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visits a family doctor model in Ho Chi Minh City (Source: VNA)
Representatives from the Ministry of Health and hospitals nationwide sought ways to encourage the involvement of sectors and accelerate public-private partnership in healthcare at a conference in Hanoi on September 16.
In her opening remarks, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the event aimed to analyse investments in medical facilities as well as the outcomes and lessons from providing health services.
She said Vietnam has supported medical establishments from the central to the grassroots level via various resources such as the State budget, Government bonds and official development assistance, among others.
Since 2008, 610 out of 760 hospitals using Government bonds across the country have been opened, she added.
However, the official noted, such efforts still have failed to meet the public demand for healthcare.
Pointing to the limited State budget, the minister said solutions to mobilise social resources to improve infrastructure, equipment, management and the quality of health services are expected to bring positive results.
As a result, the health sector will map out orientations for and solutions to investment attraction along with seeking ways to develop private hospitals during the conference, Tien said.
The Department of Planning and Finance under the Ministry of Health said investments in healthcare from the State coffer and Government bonds have shown breakthroughs. Joint ventures have also proven effective, helping improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment and reducing the mortality rate.
The department proposed the sector calculate exact health service costs, consider which capital resources should be used for purchasing new equipment and select the best contractors for services within hospitals.-VNA
