Vietnam implements healthcare reforms to strengthen grassroots services

Vietnam is undergoing significant healthcare reforms aimed at strengthening grassroots medical systems and improving access to insurance-covered medications. In Quang Ninh province, the local government has restructured its medical network to align with new central directives. The system has been streamlined from 208 entities down to 78, including the reorganization of 13 district health centers into five regional general hospitals. Additionally, 171 former health stations have been reorganized into 55 stations and 92 smaller points, now managed by local commune authorities.

To support these changes, the province is increasing human resources, with an average of 4.6 doctors per station, and implementing remote consultation and technical transfers to improve local diagnostic capabilities. Efforts are also being made to provide mobile health screenings for elderly, disabled, and remote populations.

Concurrently, the Ministry of Health is reviewing the list of drugs covered by health insurance. The goal is to expand coverage to include new-generation cancer treatments at primary care facilities. This move aims to address shortages at the local level and reduce the need for patients with chronic illnesses to travel to higher-level hospitals for prescriptions, thereby lowering costs and reducing overcrowding in major medical centers.