Vietnam ’s policies on health care always prioritise mountainous areas and regions, where ethnic minority people live, affirmed a health official.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen made the affirmation at a conference on human resources for health in difficult areas in Hanoi on Nov. 23.

The conference was jointly held by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Asia-Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources for Health.

Deputy Minister Xuyen added that the key is to improve medical services in both quantity and quality through incentives to encourage and keep medical workers to work at those areas.

According to WHO, about 50 percent of the world population live in rural areas but only 38 percent of nurses and 25 percent of doctors work there./.