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| Medical examinations provided for ethnic people in Thai Nguyen province__Photo: VNA |
Party General Secretary To Lam has recently signed the Politburo’s Resolution 72-NQ/TW, setting out groundbreaking measures to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of the people’s health.
The resolution highlights health as the nation’s most valuable asset and a cornerstone of prosperous and sustainable development, placing citizens at the center of all policies. It represents a fundamental shift from a treatment-focused medicine to a preventive approach, underscoring completion of preventive medicine system, stronger grassroots facilities, and more comprehensive healthcare services.
Vietnam has already gained international recognition for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in health care, with essential health service coverage indices exceeding regional averages. However, challenges remain, including underinvestment in preventive medicine, dependence on imported drugs and equipment, unequal access across regions, and shortcomings in food safety, nutrition, and grassroots healthcare capacity.
The resolution urges stronger sci-tech development and digital transformation in the healthcare sector as well as reform in medical finance, ensuring effective and sustainable health insurance policy.
It establishes concrete health targets for 2030, including increasing average life expectancy to 75.5 years with at least 68 years of healthy living. Children and adolescents aged 1-18 should grow an additional 1.5 centimeters in average height, while vaccination coverage for essential immunization programs must exceed 95 percent.
Universal health insurance coverage is targeted, with citizens entitled to free annual check-ups and electronic health records.
The resolution envisions that by 2045, Vietnam’s healthcare indicators will be comparable to developed countries’, with average life expectancy exceeding 80 years. A modern, equal, effective, and sustainable healthcare system will be developed, meeting diverse healthcare needs.
To deliver on the goals, the Politburo calls for drastic shift in public health care mindset, raising public awareness of healthy and responsible lifestyle and building of a healthcare culture in the community, with April 7 declared as the All-People Health Day.
The resolution also stresses training and incentives to better reward and retain health workers, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas. High-tech medical centers must be built to reduce outbound health care while developing medical tourism in the country.
Additionally, the private sector is encouraged to land investment in the sector in accordance with the regulations. Incentives include prioritizing clean land allocation for healthcare projects, allowing flexible land use purpose conversion to healthcare land, and reducing land rental and tax for domestic healthcare facilities.- (VNA/VLLF)
