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According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, in Vietnam, the rate of people with common mental disorders is 14.9% of the population (about 15 million people). However, only about 10% have access to formal treatment.
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| People waiting for examination at Ho Chi Minh City Mental Hospital |
Increase in patients
According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Mental Hospital, in 2022, there were 216,942 visits to the hospital's 3 medical facilities, an average of about 800-900 visits/day. Of which, patients with anxiety disorders and mood disorders accounted for the highest proportion, equivalent to nearly 36% and 25%. In particular, after the Covid-19 pandemic, visits and treatment for mental illnesses increased.
Master Bui Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Head of the Medical Affairs Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said that the community mental health care network of Ho Chi Minh City is managing about 10,000 schizophrenic patients and 7,000 epileptic patients. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has implemented school mental health care, mental health care for medical staff, and tested the "depression emergency" service... However, the whole city only has about 90 doctors with certificates to practice mental health examination and treatment.
Dr. Lai Duc Truong, representative of the World Health Organization Office in Vietnam, said that only 10% of people with mental disorders have access to formal treatment, creating a treatment gap of up to 90%. One of the reasons for this situation is the notion that mental illness is synonymous with schizophrenia (madness), but in reality, depression and anxiety are also mental disorders. The rate of schizophrenia in Vietnam is only about 0.3% - 0.5%, but depression, anxiety disorders, and alcohol-induced psychosis account for up to 10%. In addition, mental health care in our country still has many limitations because it has not been integrated into the general medical examination and treatment system. Currently, only psychiatrists can diagnose the disease, and district and county health facilities have almost no mental health services.
Lack of facilities and weak human resources
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has submitted a document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for approval of the "Healthcare Strategy on Mental Health Care for Ho Chi Minh City residents from now until 2025 and the following years". The strategy was drafted by leading experts in psychiatry, clinical psychology, and neurology and received comments and consensus from relevant departments and sectors.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the human resources in the psychiatric sector have not met the actual needs. The team of psychiatrists and psychotherapists (school, clinical, occupational) is still low in both quantity and quality compared to the world. The infrastructure of the Ho Chi Minh City Mental Hospital has degraded and cannot meet the increasing number of patients. General hospitals and schools do not have psychiatric clinics or psychological consultation rooms for early screening and timely treatment of mental problems.
“The long-term orientation of mental health care for city residents will focus on prevention, screening, and early detection of mental health problems in the community, treatment of mental health problems, and international scientific research and cooperation on mental health issues,” Associate Professor, Dr. Tang Chi Thuong informed.
Sharing the same view, Dr. Lai Duc Truong said that the whole country currently has only 0.99 psychiatrists/100,000 people; 2.89 psychiatric nurses/100,000 people; 0.11 psychological counselors/100,000 people. Meanwhile, the corresponding average figures in the world are 1.7 - 3.8 - 1.4/100,000 people. The psychiatric profession in Vietnam still has many limitations in terms of facilities, doctor treatment policies... Besides, psychiatrists are mainly concentrated in cities, leading to a huge treatment gap in the provinces, especially in remote areas.
“The health sector in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and the health sector in the country in general need to ensure the provision of comprehensive mental health care services, integrated into general health care, focusing on primary health care, while strengthening prevention and research on mental health. The urgent task now is to pay attention to mental health, putting mental health on par with physical health,” Dr. Lai Duc Truong recommended.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), mental disorders need to be diagnosed and treated promptly. Community mental health care is still limited, mainly treating schizophrenia and epilepsy. Medication is also limited, many patients use medication intermittently... Therefore, it is necessary to develop professional guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and technical procedures on psychiatry to strengthen the capacity of the community mental health care system.
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