Conference on improving capacity and quality of health service provision at commune level based on family medicine in the orientation of universal health care coverage

       On 19th December 2017 in Hanoi, conference on improving capacity and quality of health service provision at commune level based on family medicine in the orientation of universal health care coverage was organized by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Family Physicians. Attending the conference there were Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Le Tuan - Vice Minister of Health; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue - Director of Medical Examination and Treatment Department; Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Trong - Chairman of Vietnam Association of Family Physicians; Dr. Kidong Park - Chief Representative of WHO in Viet Nam; leaders and specialists of MOH Departments; leaders of Central and Hanoi hospitals; representatives from the Health Departments, Health Centers; and institutions interested in operational model and financial mechanism for health at grassroots level.

About 84% of Vietnam population has participated in health insurance. Of the more than 17,000 covered health care services, there are nearly 200 high-tech with big cost such as organ transplants, cardiovascular interventions ... The drug list is also expanded with more than 1,000 prescription drugs and 19 cancer drugs. However, the capacity to provide services of institutions of Medical Examination and Treatment, especially at the grassroots level is limited. The detection, screening, management and treatment of non-communicable diseases (chronic diseases) are not good and are not widely covered. This causes 2.4% of families having to pay for medical expenses at a "disaster" level and the rate of households pays for health services on their own is over 40% compared with 30% recommended by the World Health Organization.

Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Le Tuan performed an overview presentation on the universal health care coverage

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Health Pham Le Tuan said that the disease model in Vietnam has changed with a dual burden: prevention on infectious and uninfectious deseases; and the increase of aging population. That requires changes from the health system. Improving the health capacity at grassroots level is an important solution to care, protec and improve the people's health. This is also considered as the most cost-effective and sustainable option. Health at district and commune levels  are "gatekeepers of the health system" and it helps manage and provide treatment for 70% of patients with chronic disease.

The direction of the health in Vietnam in the future is to develop a sustainable health system in the direction of equity-efficiency-development-quality for the universal health care coverage. Besides developing high-tech, modern and specialized health services, it is important to develop the health at grassroots level so that people can have access to basic and quality health services in their surroundings. In order to achieve this objective, the health sector needs to be developed in the direction of increasing public spending on health, reducing the rate of direct expenditure on health from households, developing universal health insurance, expanding health services at grassroots level.

From 2013, the project: "Building and developing a family doctor's clinic in Vietnam for the period 2013-2020"  was approved by MOH. In 2014, the Circular No. 16/2014 / TT-BYT dated 22nd May 2014 was completed by MOH for the instruction of pilot implementation of family doctors and family doctor clinics. In 2016 the plan to multiply and to expand and develop the family doctor's model for the 2016-2020 period was approved.

The conference would be taken place in two days from December 19th to December 20th 2017.

Some pictures at the conference:

Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Trong - Chairman of Vietnam Association of family doctor gave his speech at the conference

Dr. Kidong Part - Chief Representative of WHO in Viet Nam gave his speech at the conference

Representative of the Delegation of European Union inVietnam gave his speech at the conference

Associate Prof. Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue presented the doctor family in Vietnam - development orientation towards 2020

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