Health sector seeks social resources to improve services
Representatives from the Health Ministry and hospitals nationwide sought ways to encourage the involvement of sectors and accelerate public-private partnership in healthcare at a conference in Hanoi.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visits a family doctor model in Ho Chi Minh City (Source: VNA)
Representatives from the Ministry of Health and hospitals nationwide sought ways to encourage the involvement of sectors and accelerate public-private partnership in healthcare at a conference in Hanoi on September 16.
In her opening remarks, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the event aimed to analyse investments in medical facilities as well as the outcomes and lessons from providing health services.
She said Vietnam has supported medical establishments from the central to the grassroots level via various resources such as the State budget, Government bonds and official development assistance, among others.
Since 2008, 610 out of 760 hospitals using Government bonds across the country have been opened, she added.
However, the official noted, such efforts still have failed to meet the public demand for healthcare.
Pointing to the limited State budget, the minister said solutions to mobilise social resources to improve infrastructure, equipment, management and the quality of health services are expected to bring positive results.
As a result, the health sector will map out orientations for and solutions to investment attraction along with seeking ways to develop private hospitals during the conference, Tien said.
The Department of Planning and Finance under the Ministry of Health said investments in healthcare from the State coffer and Government bonds have shown breakthroughs. Joint ventures have also proven effective, helping improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment and reducing the mortality rate.
The department proposed the sector calculate exact health service costs, consider which capital resources should be used for purchasing new equipment and select the best contractors for services within hospitals.-VNA
The health sector has been awarded Independence Order, first class, in recognition of its great contributions to the cause of caring for people’s health as well as comprehensive progresses it has made over the years.
Grassroots health care is the foundation of Vietnam's health system, said Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Minister of Health at a meeting in Hue imperial city, central Thua Thien-Hue province, on March 24.
As many as 40 concert programmes under the “bringing music to hospitals” project will be arranged in hospitals in and around Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai in 2015, as announced at a press conference held in Hanoi on March 30.
Hanoi’s health sector said that it will add more than one thousands doctors to the municipal health worker contingent to achieve the number of doctors the city needs to provide properly qualified health services for its citizens.
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.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
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.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
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.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
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.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visits a family doctor model in Ho Chi Minh City (Source: VNA)
