Healthcare project in Central Highlands reviewed

Lam Dong (VNA) - The implementation of the second phase of a health care project in the Central Highlands provinces was reviewed at a conference held in Da Lat city on January 11.

Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project aims to support the development of medical systems in the five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Kon Tum, Gia Lai and Lam Dong during 2014-2019, towards meeting the increasing demand for medical checkups of regional residents, especially impoverished and ethnic people.

Addressing the event, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien underlined the need to pay attention to improving the quality of human resources, medical examination and treatment activities.

The project mainly focuses on enhancing communal-level heath care, fine-tuning the quality and access to medical services at hospitals and the management capacity in health care establishments at all levels in terms of basic construction, facility procurement, consultation, training, communication and project management.

After more than 4 years of implementation, all activities such as purchasing ambulances, medical and office equipment; consultation work; basic construction; training human resources, and communication campaigns, have been implemented synchronously at both central and local-level medical establishments.

During the period, Over 21.4 million USD were spent on building and upgrading 83 commune health centres, general health clinics, and district hospitals, while long and short-term training courses were organised for doctors and management staff at both district and commune levels.

A wide range of communication campaigns were also arranged to raise public awareness of disease prevention, effective use of medical services, and medical insurance benefits.

Participants to the event pointed out difficulties and obstacles in implementing the software-based management of information related to patients, health insurance, health records, and vaccination of people at all levels.

Participants proposed the Ministry of Health to provide synchronous management software to better the management of health and examination and treatment activities, and payment of health insurance at health stations.

The 76.6-million-USD project, which gets 70 million USD as loan from the ADB, seeks to develop health care system, particularly in provinces with poor, ethnic minority and other disadvantaged people.

In its first phase, 200 doctors were trained, 12 district health centres, four health education centres and two medical vocational training schools were built. Meanwhile, new equipment was provided for the local hospitals.-VNA