WB vows to support healthcare development in Vietnam

WB Country Director in Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa made the statement at a meeting between the Health Ministry and international health partners, which was held on March 17.

Vietnam ought to ensure local access to high-quality medical services and improve health staff’s competence, she said.

At the meeting, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien noted her agency will continue prioritising measures to ease the issue of hospital overloads moving forward.

The improvement of human resources, finances, infrastructure and disease precautions are also on the ministry’s agenda, she added, underscoring the importance of overhauling relevant customer services.

According to the Health Ministry, throughout the 2011-2015 period, the numbers of beds and doctors per 10,000 people increased from 21.5 to 24, and from 7.2 to 8, respectively. Meanwhile, in some major hospitals, the percentage of shared beds was reduced from 70% to 7%. 

The period saw expenditure on the health sector accounting for 7.52% of total public spending. The amended law on health insurance was issued on January 1, with the rate of insurance coverage rising from 60.9% in 2010 to 75.3% in 2015.

Health services have become available in all localities nationwide, and there have been 240 private facilities set up by family doctors since 2013.