Obstetricians, pediatricians encouraged to go to remote areas

The move comes as the mortality rate of infants among ethnic groups in the far-flung areas remains high while due attention has yet been paid to caring for pregnant and post-natal women, newborns and children in these areas. 

A 2006-2007 survey showed that maternity-related deaths in mountainous localities accounted for 81.5 percent that of the entire nation. The figure was 81.2 percent in 2013 and 2014. 

The mortality rate among children under one and five years old in mountainous areas is also the highest in the country, with little progress made in recent years. 

Statistics released at a workshop in Hanoi on August 25 showed that in Vietnam, the maternal mortality rate decreased from 233 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 69 per 100,000 in 2010. Meanwhile, the mortality rate of under-one-year-old children fell from 44.4 percent in 1990 to 14.9 percent in 2014. 

However, it is estimated that there are 580-600 maternal deaths and over 10,000 infant deaths in the nation each year. 

Therefore, in the time ahead, the health ministry will help women nationwide get easier access to quality reproductive health services, while improving the quality of emergency aid and treatment for women and children.