The public health system in Vietnam is organized following an administrative hierarchy which includes four levels: a central level (central and regional hospitals and research institutes), managed directly by the Ministry of Health; a provincial and district level; the municipal level; and finally a network of healthcare personnel who make home visits working directly in the villages.
The Vietnamese Government’s objective is to create and manage a universal health system – accessible to everyone.
To pursue the achievement of the development objective No 3 of the 2030 Agenda “Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all and at all ages”, some important strategies have been issued: the “National Strategy for Protection, Care and Promotion of People’s Health in 2011-2020 and Vision 2030 “, the” National Population and Reproductive Health Strategy 2011-2020 “, the” National Strategy on Malaria Elimination and Prevention in Viet Nam in 2011-2020 and Orientation 2030 “, the” National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in Viet Nam by 2020 and Vision 2030 “, the ” National Strategy on Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, Bronchial Asthma and Other Non-Communicable Diseases in 2015-2025 “, the” Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Plan in 2015-2020 “, and the” National Road Safety Strategy to 2020 and Vision 2030 “.
The health services provision has improved significantly. Greater investment in health care facilities has increased people’s access to health services. Progress has been made on the capacity to predict, monitor, prevent and control epidemics. The medical technology of the healthcare structures is growing. Many previously untreatable diseases are now detectable earlier and can thus be treated and cured.
Although the improvement registered on population health indicators, the country has to face several challenges, including the high number of families living below the poverty line; the high rate of maternal and child mortality; the low life expectancy especially among ethnic minorities; the high rate of child malnutrition; the control of communicable diseases; the limited access to health care systems and the increased impact of indirect health risks (as climate change and environmental pollution). The public health expenditure still remains limited and the intra-sectoral coordination for the development and implementation of the urgent policies remains slow and very complex.
AICS supports the Vietnamese government’s efforts to build inclusive health systems for addressing both endemic and emerging infectious disease threats; and for planning, financing and implementing solutions to the public health challenges of the country with the project “Improving health care services in specific areas of central Vietnam at the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy”. The initiative’s aim is to strengthen health infrastructures, train medical personnel, provide medical equipment and the general management of the health systems resources in three central Vietnam provinces and of the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy – HUMP.