Efforts made by Vietnam to renovate its health care system werehighlighted during a speech delivered by Health Minister Nguyen Thi KimTien at the opening ceremony of the 68th session of the World HealthAssembly in Geneva taking place from May 18-26.
During herremarks, Tien said Vietnam, a low-middle income country with apopulation of over 90 million, has achieved good health outcomeindicators from the millennium development goals, above a number ofcountries with similar per capita incomes.
Grassroots healthcare networks have constantly been invested in anddeveloped. All communes have health centres—60 percent of which havemedical doctors—and all villages have health workers, she noted, addingthat Vietnam is striving to achieve health insurance coverage of 75percent in late 2015 and 80 percent in 2020.
Recently,Vietnam joined the global health security system pilot and achievedsignificant progress in public health emergency preparedness andresponse. Through substantial efforts, Vietnam has successfullycontrolled emerging diseases and pandemics such as SARS and the avianflu, Tien reported.
She shared that Vietnam has enactedvarious policies in a bid to foster a more resilient health system,focusing on health finance reform, investment in infrastructure andhuman resource development.
The Government is subsidising healthinsurance premiums for the poor, near-poor, ethnic minorities, childrenunder 6 and people living in disadvantaged areas as well as encouragingprivate investment and public-private partnership (PPP) ininfrastructure and hi-tech medical equipment. Administrative proceduresin healthcare have been made more transparent to satisfy the generalpopulation.
Vietnam has effectively used domestic and officialdevelopment assistance resources to increase investment in modernhospitals at the tertiary and grassroots levels. As a result, as many as800 new district and central hospitals and hundreds of commune-levelhealth centres have opened, improving universal access to high-qualityhealth services.
The country has also focused ondeveloping human resources in the sector by improving the quality ofmedical training for health workers and birth attendances, especially inmountainous areas, and promoting development of traditional medicine.
Meanwhile, Vietnam successfully implemented advancedtechniques such as organ transplants, stem cell applications andendoscopy robots. Currently, 12 vaccines for the expanded immunisationprogram are domestically-produced.
In an interview withthe Vietnam News Agency, Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said one of thehighlights of the WHO’s assessment for Vietnam's national regulatorysystem for vaccines was being recognised for meeting internationalstandards.-VNA
During herremarks, Tien said Vietnam, a low-middle income country with apopulation of over 90 million, has achieved good health outcomeindicators from the millennium development goals, above a number ofcountries with similar per capita incomes.
Grassroots healthcare networks have constantly been invested in anddeveloped. All communes have health centres—60 percent of which havemedical doctors—and all villages have health workers, she noted, addingthat Vietnam is striving to achieve health insurance coverage of 75percent in late 2015 and 80 percent in 2020.
Recently,Vietnam joined the global health security system pilot and achievedsignificant progress in public health emergency preparedness andresponse. Through substantial efforts, Vietnam has successfullycontrolled emerging diseases and pandemics such as SARS and the avianflu, Tien reported.
She shared that Vietnam has enactedvarious policies in a bid to foster a more resilient health system,focusing on health finance reform, investment in infrastructure andhuman resource development.
The Government is subsidising healthinsurance premiums for the poor, near-poor, ethnic minorities, childrenunder 6 and people living in disadvantaged areas as well as encouragingprivate investment and public-private partnership (PPP) ininfrastructure and hi-tech medical equipment. Administrative proceduresin healthcare have been made more transparent to satisfy the generalpopulation.
Vietnam has effectively used domestic and officialdevelopment assistance resources to increase investment in modernhospitals at the tertiary and grassroots levels. As a result, as many as800 new district and central hospitals and hundreds of commune-levelhealth centres have opened, improving universal access to high-qualityhealth services.
The country has also focused ondeveloping human resources in the sector by improving the quality ofmedical training for health workers and birth attendances, especially inmountainous areas, and promoting development of traditional medicine.
Meanwhile, Vietnam successfully implemented advancedtechniques such as organ transplants, stem cell applications andendoscopy robots. Currently, 12 vaccines for the expanded immunisationprogram are domestically-produced.
In an interview withthe Vietnam News Agency, Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said one of thehighlights of the WHO’s assessment for Vietnam's national regulatorysystem for vaccines was being recognised for meeting internationalstandards.-VNA
