Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has made significant improvements in patient safety across all age groups, with its Ministry of Health having integrated patient safety into the national action plan on improving the medical service quality management capacity, said Jenifer Horton, Deputy Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam.
The message was delivered at a ceremony held in Hanoi on September 17 in response to the World Patient Safety Day 2025, themed “Patient Safety from the Start!”. The event was organised by the Department of Maternal and Child Health under the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the National Children’s Hospital.
Horton noted that safety standards are part of the licensing criteria for all healthcare facilities. Reportable medical incidents must be identified, laying the foundation for a safer and more accountable healthcare system.
WHO will continue to support Vietnam in the five priority areas for patient safety. These include establishing a national patient safety programme, implementing the Ministry of Health’s guidelines, and raising public awareness about safe medicine use and including patient representatives in hospital boards. Other areas of support include promoting patient safety education for healthcare workers, and standardising the patient incident reporting system.
At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan cited international reports as saying that more than one in every 10 patients experience a medical incident. In low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 134 million hospital incidents occur each year, causing about 2.6 million deaths, half of which are preventable.
Not only is unsafe healthcare harmful, it also consumes a significant proportion of health spending, estimated at 12–15% of total health spending, equivalent to 1.4 to 1.6 trillion USD per year. Investing in patient safety is therefore both a moral imperative and a smart economic decision, he noted.
Thuan affirmed that the healthcare sector identifies patient safety as a key pillar in quality management, especially in the field of obstetrics and paediatrics.
Patient safety, especially for infants and young children, is not only a measure of professional quality, but also a measure of social civility. Every improvement, no matter how small or big, can save a life, preserve a future, and foster people's trust in the health system, said the official.
Thuan also underlined the Ministry of Health’s commitment to continuing to improve the policy framework, assessment tools and incentive mechanisms. It will also strengthen the monitoring and incident reporting system, promote resources for digital transformation, and expand cooperation with WHO and development partners.
Linking safety targets with the national programmes on mothers and children, nutrition, immunisation and disease prevention would help avoid further safety incidents for families, he added.
The deputy minister also called on localities, maternal and pediatric facilities, primary healthcare units, and the education system to work closely together so that the message “Patient Safety from the Start!” is truly integrated into every process, every case, every classroom, and every family.
The meeting was connected online to hundreds of hospitals nationwide, aiming to reaffirm the determination to build a safe healthcare environment that puts patients, especially children, at the centre, for a healthy and sustainable future for the community./.
