Delegates attend the conference sharing
international experiences in developing local healthcare systems held in the
central city of Đà Nẵng yesterday. — Photo VGP
Local
authorities play a particularly important role in implementing health
programmes at their localities as well as co-ordinating with different sectors
to help people easily access and efficiently use quality healthcare services at
a reasonable cost.
Minister
of Health, Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến, said this at a conference sharing international
experiences in developing local healthcare systems held in the central city of
Đà Nẵng yesterday.
Addressing
the conference, Tiến stressed that in order to take good care of and protect
people’s health in Việt Nam, besides the efforts of health workers, it was
necessary to have the support of local governments at all levels in
administering and organising health programmes.
“In
recent years, the health sector in Việt Nam has made great progress in the
process of international integration, brought back positive changes and made
important achievements,” she said, naming some achievements of the sectors
including mobilising enormous resources, both financial and technical, applying
and deploying more advanced techniques and modern technology in diagnosis and
treatment, effective disease prevention, production of many vaccines and the
successful implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
The
health minister noted that health insurance in the country had been expanded to
76.52 per cent of the population while the programme to ease overloading at
hospitals was being implemented effectively.
She hoped
to learn about the experiences of other countries and from the World Health
Organisation (WHO).
The WHO’s
Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr Shin Young-soo, who is in Việt
Nam from September 18-21, praised Việt Nam for its substantial achievements in
the healthcare sector but also pointed out that rapid development exposed the
weaknesses of the health system.
“There
are symptoms that show that the health system is not coping or is not meeting
the needs of the country,” he said to representatives from the health ministry
and authorities from 19 provinces and cities, adding that local governments
were charged with the responsibility of policy implementation.
“You need
to look at how to prioritise your investment in the health system,” he said.
“It is
not news to you that hospitals are overcrowded and grassroots services are
being bypassed. But overinvestment in hospitals and high technology services
and underinvestment in grassroots services, cannot solve this problem,” he
added.
The WHO
official stressed the new challenges facing Việt Nam such as non-communicable
diseases and an aging population, which would further constrain the health
system without attention to prevention.
He said
that as Việt Nam developed further and industrialised rapidly, environmental
pollution and occupational illnesses and injuries would increase.
“This
means attention must be given to health protection, with strong regulatory
measures and a sound surveillance system,” he said.
Dr Shin
also said local governments in Việt Nam had to ensure national policies and
programmes were enforced and implemented.
“They
have the authority and the responsibility to ensure basic services are
delivered to meet people’s needs,” he said.
Participants
at the conference discussed, exchanged and shared experiences on the
development of health systems in their localities and the important role of
local government in the sector’s development.
A
resolution signed by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc late last month on 21
targeted development programmes in 2016-2020 promised to invest VNĐ22.5
trillion (roughly US$1 billion) to develop local health systems throughout the
country.
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