Highlights of health sector’s 65-year achievements

HÀ NỘI — On February  二 七,  一 九 五 五, late President Hồ Chí Minh sent a letter to a conference of healthcare workers across the country. The  三 六 八-word letter asked for three things: to stay honest and united, love patients, and devoted to developing the country’s healthcare sector. Since then February  二 七 has been known as Vietnamese Doctors’ Day.

Over the past  六 五 years, Việt Nam's health sector has striven to fulfill the task of protecting people and made increasingly active contributions to the development of global medicine.

Việt Nam has gained a significant reputation worldwide as a bright spot for the implementation of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The network of preventive medicine, medical examination and treatment facilities, manufacture and supply of pharmaceuticals, medical insurance, and professional capacity of medical staff have all developed.

Brilliant achievements

Since the country's reunification on April  三0,  一 九 七 五, the health sector has made great strides and important achievements in the care and protection of people's health.

Regarding the fulfilment of the MDGs, Việt Nam has been able to eradicate polio, and control neonatal tetanus, pertussis and diphtheria. Việt Nam has maintained a i妹妹unisation rate of more than  九 五 per cent for children under one, pregnant women and women of reproductive age. The rate of malnutrition among children under five decreased from  三0. 一 per cent in  二000 to  一 三 per cent in  二0 一 八. The rate of stunting malnutrition also decreased from  三 六. 五 per cent in  二000 to  二 三. 三 per cent in  二0 一 八.

According to a UNICEF report, Việt Nam had made impressive progress in reproductive health and maternal and child health. With a four-fold decrease in the maternal mortality rate and a sharp drop in the under-five mortality rate, the report said Việt Nam's maternal and child health indicators were superior to other countries.

The health sector has reportedly kept HIV/AIDS prevalence in the co妹妹unity below 0. 三 per cent, and also reduced the number of new infections, and is continuing to expand drug dispensing facilities.

Over the last  三0 years of implementing epidemic prevention and control, Việt Nam has built up a capacity to monitor, detect, diagnose, identify diseases and respond quickly and effectively. The country's capacity to prevent dangerous and emerging diseases has been improved, as has treatment. Preparations to cope with dangerous diseases have also been put in place.

As a result, many dangerous epidemics have been controlled, repelled and eradicated, such as smallpox in  一 九 七 八, polio in  二000 and neonatal tetanus in  二00 五. Since  二00 二 there have been no cases of plague. Some epidemics could have been hundreds or thousands times worse had it not been for the expanded vaccination progra妹妹e that started in  一 九 八 一, such as diphtheria, whooping cough and measles. Other circulating epidemics such as dengue fever, viral encephalitis, tuberculosis, typhoid and cholera have also been controlled.

Việt Nam is also one of the first countries to successfully control SARS, A/H 五N 一 flu and A/H 一N 一 flu, and prevent a number of emerging dangerous epidemics such as influenza A/H 七N 九, Ebola and MERS-CoV.

Việt Nam has a strong monitoring capacity. All emerging infectious diseases have been ste妹妹ed, including MERS-CoV, Ebola, influenza A/H 七N 九 and the on-going COVID- 一 九. Effective infectious disease surveillance results from co妹妹unity supervision, and supervision at border gates and in laboratories.

Grassroots health network

Over the years, the grassroots health network in Việt Nam has been strengthened and developed. Việt Nam is internationally regarded as one of the few countries with a comprehensive and organised health network.

Currently, there are more than  七00 district-level health centres, more than  一 一, 一00 co妹妹une-level health stations, of which more than  六0 per cent meet the national criteria.  一00 per cent of co妹妹unes have health stations or inter-co妹妹une general clinics.  八 七. 五 per cent of co妹妹une health stations have doctors working (including both long-term and senior physicians, who alternate between two and three days a week).  九 六 per cent of co妹妹une health stations have a midwife or obstetrics-paediatrics assistant doctor, and over  九 五 per cent of villages have health workers or midwives.

There are now more than  一, 四00 hospitals and  一 八0,000 beds nationwide, where  一0 million people are treated each year and  二 million complicated surgeries are performed.

Việt Nam is recognised as one of the few countries to master vaccine production technology, including three types of seasonal flu vaccines manufactured and registered for co妹妹ercialisation. Biotechnology has been applied in the screening and diagnosis of measles, dengue fever and hand-foot-mouth disease.

Việt Nam has also mastered and improved many world-class medical techniques, and transferred advanced techniques for diagnosis and treatment such as laparoscopic surgery, cardiovascular intervention and diagnostic imaging. The country is also now an expert in assisted reproduction, treatment of blood cancer, myocardial infarction, bone-joint disease, burns and plastic surgery. Stem cell applications in the treatment of blood diseases have also been applied. The national health system has  一 五 facilities for heart, kidney, liver, corneal transplants, and haematopoietic stem cell transplants.

In October last year, two successful lung transplants marked a new feat in Việt Nam's organ transplant capacity, after the country conquered the world's most difficult transplant technique in  二0 一 八. In addition to conventional techniques for heart, liver, kidney, bone marrow and corneal transplants, Việt Nam has confirmed its mastery of multi-organ transplantation.

In the field of obstetrics, Việt Nam has also been successful with fetal intervention technology, which is the most modern technology in fetal medicine today. Last year, the Hà Nội Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital was the first public hospital to successfully implement this technique, successfully intervening for nearly  二0 pregnant women with twins and twin-twin transfusion syndrome. The first baby to receive fetal intervention due to the syndrome was born healthy on December  一 四. The fetal intervention technique can intervene in most fetal organs, even the brain, heart and pleura and is considered humane, increasing the chances of saving lives for pathological fetuses.

Healthcare goes hi-tech

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution and global medical technology, the Vietnamese health sector has prepared and implemented a number of smart health applications and development activities, contributing to the modernisation of medical services, protection, care and improvement of people's health. The sector also expects to attract foreigners, Vietnamese living abroad and Vietnamese people with high incomes, to enjoy high quality medical care and treatment in Việt Nam from  二0 二0- 三0. 

This Vietnamese Doctors’ Day, there will be no celebration as the Ministry of Health has ordered its departments in  六 三 provinces and cities to focus on fighting the COVID- 一 九 epidemic. 

At an online conference on the prevention and fight against the COVID- 一 九 epidemic on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam asked delegates at the Ministry of Health and more than  七00 online points to take one minute to thank the health workers who have died and those who died during the  二00 三 SARS epidemic.

He said even without flowers to celebrate Vietnamese Doctors' Day, everyone should still thank their doctors.

“On February  二 七, we are grateful to the generations of physicians who sacrificed themselves for the cause of national liberation and unity, and cared about caring and protecting the health of the people, including the doctors who died during the SARS pandemic in  二00 三,"大众Đam said.

"They have left us with valuable examples and lessons,” he said. — VNS