Investing in infrastructure for education and healthcare, what is the solution?

Kinhtedothi - According to National Assembly delegates, public investment has created a breakthrough for development, however, investment in high-quality human resources has not received due attention, investment in infrastructure in the fields of education and health is still limited...

On the morning of November 5, continuing the 8th Session, the National Assembly discussed in the hall the implementation of the State budget in 2024, the State budget estimate, the central budget allocation plan in 2025 and many other important contents.

Scene of the 8th Session, 15th National Assembly. Photo: Quochoi.vn

Investment in infrastructure for education and health care is still limited.

Discussing in the hall, National Assembly delegate Hoang Van Cuong (National Assembly Delegation of Hanoi) affirmed that public investment has created a breakthrough for development, however, investment in high-quality human resources has not received due attention, investment in infrastructure in the fields of education and health is still limited...

Delegate Hoang Van Cuong said that on November 3, during a meeting in Viet Tri, the delegate visited the Phu Tho General Hospital and Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, two hospitals that have implemented the autonomous mechanism. “I was really surprised, I did not believe that it was a hospital because it looked as beautiful as a 5-star hotel. Inside the hospital, the reception, examination, treatment and inpatient rooms, service areas, and children's play areas are just like an international hospital. The hospital has implemented complete autonomy, and its technical level in reproductive support is ranked among the top 5 nationwide. Patients here are very fortunate to enjoy good medical services and very comfortable treatment and care conditions; they do not have to jostle, be cramped, or even share a bed like some large hospitals in the Central region” - delegate Hoang Van Cuong shared.

According to delegate Hoang Van Cuong, the concern of hospital leaders is not medical technology, nor is it the difficulty in purchasing medicine or medical equipment; but the most difficult thing for the hospital is how to pay the 11% interest on the loan to build the modern facilities.

According to National Assembly delegate Hoang Van Cuong (National Assembly Delegation of Hanoi), investment in high-quality human resources has not received due attention, investment in infrastructure in the fields of education and health is still limited... Photo: Quochoi.vn

The delegate pointed out that if only depreciation is calculated for reinvestment and compensation for regular expenses in accordance with the spirit of autonomy in investment and regular expenses, the hospital will be very confident in implementing autonomy, the price of medical services will be at a moderate level, and patients can afford it. However, if the cost of loan interest of 11% is added to that, the price of medical services will increase very high. The absurd thing is that patients should only have to pay for the cost of medical examination and treatment services, but now they have to pay an additional amount of bank loan interest. According to the delegate, this is the reason why some large hospitals in the Central region do not dare to accept autonomy.

The delegate said that the same thing happens to autonomous universities. If the state invests in adequate initial infrastructure, the schools only have to worry about depreciation for reinvestment and regular expenses, and training costs will be low.

Delegates of the Hanoi National Assembly Delegation attending the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly. Photo: Quochoi.vn

Removing obstacles for units in the fields of education and health

Citing an example at the National Economics University where the delegate works, delegate Hoang Van Cuong said that thanks to the synchronous investment in the Central building, modern classrooms and libraries, and very comfortable living spaces, serving students not only during class time, but also when they come to school to participate in activities, and study in the library, but the tuition fee for the mass system (not advanced or high quality) is still among the lowest in universities. However, the current dormitory area is degraded, if the school borrows capital from the bank to rebuild, the rent will certainly be very high because it has to pay both interest and capital. This is not suitable for the students' ability to pay. This is also the reason why many delegates have spoken and raised the issue that autonomous universities have very high tuition fees, because it is very likely that the tuition fee includes both bank interest and initial investment capital.

Therefore, delegate Hoang Van Cuong suggested that it is necessary to reconsider the allocation of development investment capital from the State budget to invest in medical and educational facilities, at least enough to invest in construction and initial equipment, then hand over to schools and hospitals to take care of depreciation to reinvest and offset regular expenses. According to the delegate, by doing so, medical and educational facilities will be truly autonomous, patients and students will not have to bear high costs; educational and medical services.

National Assembly Delegate Le Quan (National Assembly Delegation of Hanoi) proposed amending the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets to help universities be more proactive in effectively exploiting public assets according to financial regulations, with full audits, generating revenue sources, and meeting development needs. Photo: Quochoi.vn

Participating in the discussion session, National Assembly delegate Le Quan (National Assembly Delegation of Hanoi) thanked the Government, ministries and branches for removing obstacles related to ODA and investment priorities at Hanoi National University, helping the University to initially exploit effectively, invest, and send nearly 10,000 students to Hoa Lac. In 2025, a hospital will be inaugurated to meet the training and practice needs of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

The delegate said that through the experience of some leading universities in other countries, it can be seen that universities have high-quality human resources, a large number of lecturers and scientists, and a large amount of public assets, but only lack a mechanism to operate autonomously and generate large revenues. The delegate recommended that the law on the use of public assets should be more open to public service units, especially health and education service units.

According to delegate Le Quan, the Capital Law has excellent regulations on the use of public assets. However, Hanoi National University is located in Hanoi but is not subject to the Capital Law. The delegate proposed to amend the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets in a way that helps universities be more proactive in effectively exploiting public assets according to financial regulations, with full audits, generating revenue sources, meeting the development needs of the University.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/dau-tu-co-so-vat-chat-cho-linh-vuc-giao-duc-y-te-giai-phap-nao.html