President hails health care sector's achievements

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (third from right) presents first-class Labour Order to Vinapharm (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - President Nguyen Xuan Phuc commended the health care sector for its achievements over the past years and urged the Government and the health sector to take measures to quickly address the current crisis in the sector as many medical workers are leaving their jobs, and hospitals suffer from a shortage of medicine and medical supplies.

The State leader attended a ceremony on June 28 to mark the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam Pharmaceutical Corporation (Vinapharm), where he presented the first-class Labour Order to the corporation.

He stressed that the difficulties that the health sector is facing are only temporary, adding that the Party and State are paying attention to and ready to work with the sector to solve the existing challenges and obstacles.

He urged the Ministry of Health to work out amendments to the Law on Bidding, the Law on Health Insurance and relevant legal documents, and submit them to the Government for consideration and approval so as to create favourable conditions for medical establishments to quickly secure sufficient drugs to serve patients. 

The State leader also asked the health sector and Vinapharm to perfect mechanisms and policies, especially those related to finance, to improve the quality and efficiency of medical services; address the overloading at hospitals; expand the coverage of universal health insurance and health insurance payments; and better control medical costs.

He required Vinapharm to play the leading role in investing in and transferring drug production technology to improve the quality of Vietnamese-made medicines./.