Conference seeks support for midwives in hamlets, villages
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) held a conference in Hanoi on March 10 to lobby policies in support of midwives in hamlets and villages.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health in collaboration withthe Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the United Nations Children'sFund (UNICEF) held a conference in Hanoi on March 10 to lobby policies insupport of midwives in hamlets and villages.
Speaking at the event,Deputy Health Minister Prof. Tran Van Thuan said thanks to support of theParty, State, ministries, agencies, authorities and internationalorganisations, Vietnam has made encouraging achievements in maternal and childhealth care.
Founded since the 1990s,the team of midwives in hamlets and villages have made significantcontributions to maternal and child health care in ethnic minority areas,particularly in reducing maternal and newborn mortalities. To date, there are3,077 trained midwives nationwide.
Accordingto reports from localities, as of January 31, 2023, there were 1,528 villagemidwives who had been trained but had stopped working due to the lack offunding. So far, the number of midwives receiving allowances has decreased toonly 911, of whom 732 also perform additional duties of village health workers.
LesleyMiller, Deputy Representative of UNICEF, affirmed that the health and survivalof mothers should always be a top and urgent priority in Vietnam's health careand development programme.
Thecommittee suggested the Health Ministry, ministries and agencies work closelywith them to review and fine-tune policies in support of village midwives.
ꦗ Delegatesat the event discussed support policies for mothers and children in disadvantagedareas, as well as shared experience of localities in supporting midwives invillages and hamlets./.
The Ministry of Health held a ceremony in Hanoi on May 12 to mark the International Nurses Day and affirm the role of nurses and midwives in public health care, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging around the world.
Vietnam is in need of village-based midwives as the country has more than 7,000 remote and disadvantaged villages where women do not regularly get antenatal care at medical facilities.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
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The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
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The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
