Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan speaks at the ongoing 10th session of the National Assembly on Tuesday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Government has proposed investing more than VNĐ125.4 trillion (approximately US$4.75 billion) to improve the physical and mental health, stature, life expectancy and overall quality of life of the Vietnamese people from 2026 through 2035.

At the ongoing 10th session of the National Assembly (NA), lawmakers heard the Government’s proposal and a report on investment guidelines for the national target programme on healthcare, population and development for the ten-year period starting in 2026.

The programme has a total budget of VNĐ125.48 trillion and will be carried out over 10 years, divided into two phases: 2026–2030 and 2031–2035.

Presenting the proposal, Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan said the programme aimed to enhance the physical and mental well-being, stature, life expectancy and standard of living for all citizens.

According to the proposal, the programme seeks to ensure universal access to quality primary healthcare, encourage people to proactively protect and improve their own health, reduce disease risks through early and community-level prevention, address priority population issues, respond to population ageing, improve population quality and strengthen support for vulnerable groups.

The programme sets out 10 key targets, including raising the share of communes, wards and township-level units meeting the National Criteria for Communal Healthcare to 90 per cent by 2030 and 95 per cent by 2035. It also aims to ensure that 100 per cent of citizens have electronic health records that are managed throughout their lives by 2030 and maintained thereafter.

By 2030, 100 per cent of provincial Centres for Disease Control must be capable of testing pathogens, antigens and antibodies for dangerous infectious diseases, as well as monitoring clean water quality and school sanitation.

All commune-level health stations nationwide should fully implement prevention, management and treatment procedures for selected non-communicable diseases by 2030 and maintain this level through 2035.

Under the programme, the rate of stunting among children under five is expected to fall below 15 per cent by 2030 and below 13 per cent by 2035. By 2030, at least 50 per cent of the population should be able to access at least one official mass-media channel on primary healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion, rising to 80 per cent by 2035.

Crude birth rates are expected to increase by 0.5 per cent by 2030 compared to 2025 and rise by another 0.5 per cent by 2035. The sex ratio at birth should be reduced to below 109 boys per 100 girls by 2030 and below 107 by 2035.

The initiative also aims to see 90 per cent of couples receive pre-marital health counselling and check-ups by 2030 and 95 per cent by 2035; 70 per cent of pregnant women receive screening for at least four of the most common congenital disorders by 2030 (rising to 90 per cent by 2035); and 90 per cent of newborn infants screened for at least five common congenital diseases by 2030 (95 per cent by 2035).

The number of vulnerable people accessing and using services at social care facilities is expected to increase by 70 per cent by 2030 compared with 2025, and by 90 per cent by 2035.

Chairman of the NA Committee for Culture and Society Nguyễn Đắc Vinh said while presenting the assessment report that the committee generally agreed with the programme’s beneficiaries, funding scale, objectives and component projects as proposed by the Government.

However, it recommended adding persons with disabilities to the priority groups. It also proposed revising how priority beneficiaries are defined so that the Government can specify details in line with Resolution 72 and ease implementation.

As for funding, the committee asked the Government to clearly identify financing sources and ensure minimum capital allocation, balancing investment between healthcare and population development goals. It also noted that the proposed investment for population and development accounts for only 15.5 per cent of the 2026–2030 budget.

It urged more realistic assessments of local budget capacity, especially in financially constrained provinces, along with measures to mobilise social resources to reduce pressure on the State budget. It also called for streamlining component projects to avoid overlap and resource fragmentation.

Speaking at a group discussion, Lan emphasised that the programme represented a critical breakthrough to improve public health in the next 10 years and would require clear, dedicated resources to ensure successful implementation.

Beyond institutional reforms, the national target programme would provide a framework and financial mechanism to effectively carry out healthcare and population development objectives.

A key priority, she said, would be strengthening commune-level health stations – the direct beneficiaries of the programme once approved by the NA.

The Ministry of Health had urgently issued updated regulations on the functions and tasks of commune health stations, enabling localities to prepare workers, equipment and facilities. It was also working closely with the Ministry of Finance to calculate funding requirements and resource allocation plans, she said.

Addressing the group discussion, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm underscored that three factors must receive synchronised investment: infrastructure; workers, including teachers and medical professionals; and training programmes. 

The Party chief asked that the programme clearly identified the breakthrough outcomes the health sector must achieve by 2035, stressing the importance of strengthening primary healthcare and disease prevention. 

He also urged the development of concrete solutions and plans to eliminate infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis, preventing them from persisting and draining resources across the system.

At the same time, he said it was crucial to address the root causes of ill health, including environmental pollution, access to clean water and food safety. — VNS