The project has helped all people vulnerable to poverty in nine of 13 cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta to pay for social health insurance to alleviate the burden of health care costs, according to a conference held by the Health Ministry and the World Bank in Can Tho city on March 11.

The conference was to review a project to assist healthcare services in the Mekong delta over the past four years.

The nine beneficiaries include Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, An Giang, Can Tho, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang and Tra Vinh.

In addition, the project has provided medical treatment subsidies for as many as 16,900 patients struck by economic difficulties in the region and has also helped with the further training of 1,300 doctors and health workers in the area.

The project has supplied modern medical equipment and machinery to provincial general hospitals and preventive healthcare clinics to enhance their treatment capacity.