Generations of doctors continue to write miracles of our country's medicine

Scientists in the industry have conducted a series of valuable research projects, bringing about economic efficiency and profound social significance. The health sector has made great progress in research, development and application of science and technology, bringing Vietnamese medicine closer to the world.

In the Letter to the Conference of Medical Staff 70 years ago (February 27, 1955), Uncle Ho advised medical staff: "Now, we are independent and free, cadres need to help our compatriots and the Government build a healthcare system suitable to the needs of our people. Medicine must be based on the principles of science, nation and mass."

During the struggles for national independence and unification, generations of Vietnamese revolutionary doctors were always devoted to their profession, passionate about their profession, overcoming countless difficulties and hardships, being present on all battlefields to care for and treat wounded soldiers, sick soldiers, compatriots and comrades. Thousands of medical staff heroically sacrificed for national independence, for the cause of national liberation and unification, for the cause of caring for people's health and lives.

Uncle Ho's letter to the Conference of Medical Staff 70 years ago.

When the country was at peace and unified, the medical team was present in all regions of the country, silently, quietly, and devotedly contributing to protect, care for, and improve people's health and the happiness of every family. Through many difficulties and challenges, the Vietnamese medical sector has continuously grown, developed, and achieved many important achievements with typical examples of medical ethics and talent such as Professors: Ho Dac Di, Ton That Tung, Pham Ngoc Thach, Dang Van Ngu...

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that currently, more than 500,000 medical staff across the country are always dedicated to their profession, constantly striving, growing and achieving many achievements, including medical achievements of international stature... Over the years, the health sector has always followed Uncle Ho's teachings, strived to improve the professional qualifications and qualities of doctors and overcome all difficulties and hardships to care for and protect people's health.

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Medical staff present in all regions of the country are always dedicated to their profession, constantly striving, growing and achieving many achievements, including medical achievements of international stature...

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan

In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic - a war without gunfire but full of hardships, countless challenges, unprecedented, at a critical moment, once again, hundreds of thousands of doctors, medical staff, cadres, and medical staff, regardless of hardship, day and night, stuck to the front line, fighting the epidemic; the "white-shirt soldiers" temporarily put aside their own work and family, ready to face, enter the epidemic area with full of danger to join the whole country to prevent and repel the epidemic. Those efforts, contributions, and sacrifices have brought about important anti-epidemic achievements, contributing to the country both adapting safely, flexibly, effectively controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, and recovering and developing quite comprehensively in 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a test for the medical industry, the capacity and qualities of physicians, from which important lessons can be drawn to perfect the apparatus, improve the quality of staff and physicians, and create a new spirit and motivation to develop the country's medicine in the coming time.

Currently, in the work of disease prevention, preventive medicine plays a leading role in the cause of protecting, providing primary health care and improving people's health. Dr. Hoang Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) said that investing in preventive medicine not only solves problems in the health sector, but also brings socio-economic benefits. Developing preventive medicine is not the responsibility of the health sector alone but the responsibility of the political system.

Thanks to the attention of the Party and the State in recent years, preventive medicine work has achieved many successes. About 90% of children under 1 year old are fully vaccinated with vaccines under the Expanded Immunization Program; many dangerous epidemics and diseases have been controlled and pushed back (HIV/AIDS, dengue fever, SARS-CoV-2, etc.), maintaining the results of eradicating and eliminating some diseases (polio, neonatal tetanus, lymphatic filariasis, etc.), moving towards eliminating tuberculosis, leprosy, and malaria.

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Vietnam has applied advanced technology in the production of human vaccines, ensuring the production of 11/12 types of vaccines for the expanded immunization program.

Vietnam has applied advanced technology in the production of human vaccines, ensuring the production of 11/12 types of vaccines for the expanded immunization program. The rate of stunting in children under 5 years old has decreased to below 20%, contributing to the successful implementation of the goals in the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development by 2030 (SDGs). The work of preventing, controlling and managing non-communicable diseases and managing people's health has been initially deployed at the commune level. Awareness and practice of prevention and health promotion of each person, family and society have been raised.

In the field of medical examination and treatment, in recent years, the position of Vietnamese medicine has been increasingly affirmed thanks to remarkable advances in research, development and application of technology in many fields of medicine. In addition to fields such as endoscopic surgery and organ transplantation, which have achieved many achievements, Vietnam is also known as a country that is gradually rising to an important position in the list of vaccine-producing countries in the world.

The quality and effectiveness of medical examination and treatment are increasingly improved. The Ministry of Health directs and thoroughly implements the viewpoint of "taking the patient as the center" to implement solutions to improve service quality and patient satisfaction. The system of medical examination and treatment facilities continues to be consolidated and developed. Many hospitals have won prestigious awards for hospital quality assessment at home and abroad. Vietnam is increasingly rated on the world medical map. There are many experts and leading doctors with high qualifications, skills, and prestige at the regional and international level. Many specialized and key medical fields of Vietnam are highly appreciated by the world (thyroid endoscopic surgery, organ transplantation, cardiovascular intervention, acupressure, acupuncture, etc.).

Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country on the list of countries that will perform more than 1,000 organ transplants each year from 2022. The high number of transplants shows that science and technology have made great strides, mastering many difficult techniques and surpassing many countries in the region.

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Many hospitals have won prestigious awards for hospital quality assessment both domestically and internationally. Vietnam is increasingly rated on the world medical map.

In recent times, the health sector and related ministries have made a breakthrough in implementing health insurance to achieve the goal of universal health insurance... Many policies on expanding the benefits of health insurance patients have been developed such as an increased drug list, regularly updated accordingly, low health insurance premiums compared to many countries in the region but high benefits. Administrative procedures for health insurance examination and treatment have been shortened...

To date, more than 94% of the population in our country has participated in health insurance, with an average of more than 150 million people receiving health insurance medical examination and treatment each year, contributing to ensuring that all people have access to health services at reasonable costs. The health insurance medical examination and treatment system is well organized from the central to local levels, including public and private medical examination and treatment facilities, facilitating access to health insurance cardholders' health examination and treatment services.

Regarding population work, Mr. Le Thanh Dung - Director of the Department of Population emphasized that in recent years in Vietnam, with the participation of the entire political system, especially the synchronous and drastic leadership and direction of Party committees and authorities at all levels and the consensus and response of the masses, population work over the past 30 years has had remarkable and remarkable developments.

Vietnam has adopted an innovative approach to address inequality and narrow the gap in socio-economic development between regions and population groups. Life expectancy has increased, reaching 73.7 years in 2023. Vietnam has surpassed global trends in reducing maternal mortality over the past 30 years, and the rate of use of modern contraceptives is high in the world. The stature and physical strength of Vietnamese people have improved. The population is more reasonably distributed, linked to the process of urbanization, industrialization and the requirements of socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security.

However, population work in Vietnam still faces difficulties and challenges, such as: Significant fertility differences between regions and groups and the risk of not reaching replacement fertility nationwide; rapid population aging; high sex ratio at birth; child marriage and consanguineous marriage are still slow to be overcome. Along with that, the sex ratio at birth remains high at 112.1 boys/100 girls.

Doctors examine and monitor the health of young children. (Photo: Minh Quyet/VNA)

In the face of the above situation, the Party and the State are very concerned about population work. Recently, the Central Party Office has issued a document notifying the Politburo's opinion on the preliminary review of the implementation of Resolution 21/2017 of the Central Party Executive Committee (12th tenure) on population work in the new situation and amending Party and State regulations related to population policy.

The Politburo assigned the Central Inspection Commission to advise and amend the regulations of the Central Executive Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat related to handling violations of population policies and proactively amend the Central Inspection Commission's Instruction No. 05/2022 in the direction of not subjecting disciplinary action to cases of giving birth to a third child or more, in line with amending legal regulations. According to experts, this is a very urgent, urgent, and very correct policy to encourage an increase in the birth rate in Vietnam.

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Up to now, more than 94% of the population in our country has participated in health insurance. Every year, on average, there are over 150 million people using health insurance for medical examination and treatment.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the current world situation continues to be complicated and unpredictable; climate change, natural disasters, storms, floods, epidemics, and non-traditional security issues impact sectors and fields, including the health sector. In that context, with the attention, leadership, and direction of the Party, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Prime Minister, the close coordination of ministries, sectors, localities, and the support of the people, the health sector has completed many key tasks and effectively implemented public health care.

The health sector has completed 3/3 of the main socio-economic targets for 2024 assigned by the National Assembly, exceeding 2 assigned targets on the number of doctors/10,000 people and the number of hospital beds/10,000 people; achieved the target on the rate of population participating in health insurance; basically completed the major targets of the sector and field in 2024 assigned by the Government.

Doctors show gratitude to organ donors. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Medicine is a special profession. Medical staff must meet professional and ethical requirements; need to be selected, trained, employed and treated specially. Therefore, in the coming time, the entire health sector will continue to perfect the organizational structure; deploy many synchronous solutions to develop grassroots health care according to the content of Directive No. 25-CT/TW dated October 25, 2023 of the Secretariat on continuing to consolidate, perfect and improve the quality of grassroots health care activities in the new situation; Resolution No. 99/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly...

In all historical periods of the country, the medical sector has faced many difficulties and challenges and has strived to overcome them, successfully fulfilling its noble mission. Throughout the 70-year development journey, although there have been many advantages, there have also been many hardships and challenges. The medical sector needs to be serious, look directly at the shortcomings, limitations, and weaknesses to find solutions to overcome them, strive, rise up, and better serve the health care needs of the people, worthy of the trust and love of the Party and the People.

Medical staff promote the spirit of solidarity, the more difficult it is, the more we must unite, join hands, and be of one mind for the health and lives of our compatriots according to the teachings of beloved Uncle Ho: “First of all, we must be honest and united. Unity is our strength. Unity will overcome all difficulties and achieve many achievements. Unity between old and new staff. Unity between all people in the health sector from ministers, deputy ministers, doctors, pharmacists to the staff…”

President Luong Cuong presented the title of People's Physician to Major General, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Ba Tuyen, Director of the Traditional Medicine Hospital, Ministry of Public Security. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

President Luong Cuong presents the title of People's Physician to Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Binh, Deputy Director of the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

President Luong Cuong visits nurse Nguyen Thi Kim Lai - the character "Little Guerrilla Girl" in the black and white photo series by journalist Phan Thoan. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

According to the Minister of Health, from a lack of both human resources and facilities in the early days of its establishment, the health network has now developed widely, with more than 13,000 health facilities from central to local levels.

Many collectives and individuals have been recognized, commended and rewarded by the Party, the State and the Ministry of Health with noble awards and titles such as People's Physician, Excellent Physician... which have truly become a driving force and inspiration for each individual and unit to strive to always fulfill their tasks, contributing significantly to completing and exceeding the goals in the strategy to protect, care for and improve people's health.

The world's constant development and change pose new challenges to non-traditional security, including the issue of epidemics. To address the challenge of responding to epidemics, there is no other way than for countries to increase investment in the health system to better prepare for forecasting, detecting and responding promptly to epidemics. Vietnam is no exception to this common development and continues to effectively implement programs and projects on population work, contributing to prolonging and effectively utilizing the golden population structure, adapting to population aging.

In addition, the organizational system and apparatus of the health sector have been consolidated and improved in the direction of streamlining focal points associated with streamlining the payroll, restructuring and improving the quality of cadres, civil servants and public employees; Actively implementing Conclusion No. 25-KL/TW of the Politburo, including the policy of increasing the number of medical stations and medical staff according to population size.../.