Representatives from The Ministry of Health and the British Embassy in Việt Nam pose a group photo at the closing events of the Better Health Programme on Thursday. — Photo Courtesy of the British Embassy in Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — Better Health Programme – a UK-led initiative launched in 2020 – has helped tackle systematic issues and strengthened the health system in Việt Nam.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health and the British Embassy in Việt Nam co-hosted the programme's closing event.

The event was attended by policymakers, the ministry's technical experts, and representatives from research institutes, hospitals, and international organisations. The participants discussed the programme's outputs, outcomes, challenges, and lessons learnt to enable the transfer of knowledge for its sustainability.

The event witnessed the handover of the Better Health Programme's deliverables outputs from the British Ambassador to Việt Nam, Iain Frew, to Deputy Health Minister Prof. Dr Trần Văn Thuấn.

Ambassador Frew said that over the past three years of the Better Health Programme, they made great strides in building capacity for Vietnamese healthcare workers, introducing new models and information systems, and supporting Vietnamese institutional development.

"I believe the Ministry of Health will continue sustaining all those outcomes after the handover. As we advance, the UK government will continue our commitment to strengthening global health security through supporting health systems and access to new health technologies," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of a health system resilience for both pandemic preparedness and addressing persistent health challenges, including non-communicable diseases. One of the key factors in addressing those underlying issues is establishing effective and coherent information flows and surveillance systems. This will help prevent non-communicable diseases, mobilise resources, and deliver better care.

Through the Better Health Programme, the UK Government supports the Vietnamese Ministry of Health in tackling the systematic issues to build Vietnamese health system resilience through improving workforce capacity, supporting institutional development and harnessing the potential of digital innovation to strengthen equitable access to safe and quality care.

The programme provides recommendations for non-communicable diseases strategies, special education management, and digital health roadmap in Việt Nam with technical cooperation from world-leading experts from the UK National Health Service (NHS) and international organisations.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Health Minister Thuấn said that within a limited timeframe, the programme had remarkably supported the Vietnamese health sector in strengthening the capacity to tackle the burden of non-communicable diseases, improving innovation in health education and training, and digital health transformation.

"With strong cooperation and commitment, I hope all relevant stakeholders will work together to fulfil the remaining health gaps, as well as monitor, evaluate, and update its deliverables to reflect our current needs," he said. — VNS