Vietnam strives to ensure people's access to best medical services

Hanoi (VNA) – Moving toward the goal of universal health care coverage by 2030, the Vietnamese Party and State have for years put the protection of and care for people’s health at the top, and the focus is bringing about encouraging results.

In 2022, the health sector fulfilled all three main socio-economic targets assigned by the National Assembly, which were the number of doctors per 10,000 people, the number of hospital beds per 10,000 people, and the health insurance coverage rate.

Medical check-up and treatment activities have recovered quickly after the COVID-19 pandemic, and remote examination and treatment, and technology transfer to lower levels have been enhanced.

Vietnam is increasingly appreciated on the world health map, with many experts and doctors recognised at the regional and international levels.

Currently, the Ministry of Health has been making efforts to mobilise investment resources for grassroots health, and implementing major programmes and projects to increase comprehensive investment in grassroots health care in the coming time. Thanks to the development of the grassroots health network, basic health indicators of Vietnamese people have improved remarkably. Life expectancy increased from 71.3 in 2002 to 73.6 in 2022, higher than the world average of 73. The essential health service coverage index in 2020 reached 70 out of 100 points, higher than the average of Southeast Asia (61) and the world (67).

 

The ministry is building a draft national strategy to protect, care for and improve people's health by 2030, with a vision to 2045, with a goal of people enjoying the best medical services.

According to Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, compared to the 2021-2020 strategy, the draft will put the task of improving public health first, fully and comprehensively clarify factors affecting health, and emphasise the importance of giving the highest priority to investment in increasing the capacity of the grassroots health system. The draft will ensure considering grassroots health as the key to realising the goal of universal health care coverage in the context of the country’s limited financial resources.

It will focus on increasing the capacity of disease prevention and control, improving the population work, developing human resources, and stepping up research and application of science and technology./.