Central Highlands consolidates public healthcare system
The Central Highlands strives to set up medical stations in all communes by 2015 as part of effort to reinforce its public healthcare system, heard an August 18 workshop in Dak Lak province.
To do so, participants suggested priority to personnel training in disadvantaged areas, and all possible perks for medical workers at the grassroots, including health insurance staff.
They also stressed the need to equip preventive medicine centres with necessary equipment and technologies, ensuring that they meet the national standard by 2015.
Over the past three years, the region has made remarkable achievements in public healthcare services and disease prevention, with nearly 63% of its population covered by health insurance.
More than 18,300 are working for the healthcare sector, up 3.5 times from 2001, with midwives present in all communes and doctors serving in over 79% of communes and townships.
Up to 66.25% of communes and precincts have met national healthcare standards, helping control the outbreaks of malaria, leprosy, tuberculosis, and cholera.
Ethnic minorities and the poor have received free health checkups and treatment. The expanded immunisation campaign has come a long way and reached over 95% of local population for many years.