Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long gives instruction at the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long on Tuesday afternoon chaired a meeting at the Government Headquarters to discuss the Politburo’s draft Resolution on breakthroughs in public health care to meet the national development in the new era.

Per the resolution, at least 1,000 doctors will be assigned to work for a period of time at grassroots level per year during 2025-2030.

From next year, each citizen will receive a free periodic health check-up or screening examination at least once a year.

An electronic health book will be created to manage health over the life cycle.

The resolution also aims to have Vietnamese people's health indicators and essential health service coverage index be equivalent to those of developed countries.

People will have an average life expectancy of over 80 years old, in which the number of healthy years will increase, the average stature, physical strength, and height of young people will be equivalent to those of countries with the same level of development.

At the meeting, Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan said that public health care is facing unprecedented challenges, including the double burden of disease, non-communicable diseases increase, aging population and people's increasing demands for quality health services.

Financial mechanisms, human resources and grassroots health capacity are still major barriers.

Reality required new thinking, new ways of doing things and breakthrough solutions, she said.

The new resolution does not replace existing ones, but focuses on solving new and major problems, clearly defines goals, roadmaps and specific responsibilities to create breakthroughs in public health care, meeting the requirements of national development in the new era, the Minister said, adding that the resolution must overcome the situation of "good policies but weak implementation" and must be action-oriented.

Assoc. Prof. Đào Xuân Cơ, Director of the Bạch Mai Hospital, proposed numerous solutions such as developing high-quality human resources, standardising doctor training according to international standards, promoting scientific research, focusing on basic research so that domestic production of drugs and medical equipment can be achieved, innovating financial mechanisms, covering all people with comprehensive health insurance, attracting resources from society in health care, digital transformation, data linkage, technology application, strengthening international cooperation so that Việt Nam is a destination for health care and scientific research.

Jennifer Horton, Deputy Chief Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Việt Nam, said she was very excited and pleased that the draft resolution as well as experts’ opinions mentioned initiatives and solutions to build a healthy community, which was a very important health issue for a nation.

In addition, the draft resolution mentions the viewpoint of taking people as the centre in health care and medical work; improving human resources capacity, especially in high-quality specialties; strengthening equipment, supplies, medical products; improving medical services quality; ensuring the people’s access to health care; and vaccination.

The WHO Việt Nam's official believes that along with innovation in the mindset of the management agency, it is necessary to simultaneously change the people’s mindset in proactively taking care of their own health and that of their families.

Deputy PM Long said that Việt Nam had resolutions of the Central Committee, many different documents of the Politburo and the Secretariat with contents related to caring for and protecting people's health.

Therefore, the Politburo's Resolution must explain the new, more specific content, showing the necessity of issuing the resolution.

Reiterating General Secretary Tô Lâm's request that the draft resolution must be strategic, action-oriented and innovative, ensuring feasibility, Deputy PM Long stated that opinions at the conference were in agreement with most of the major contents in the draft resolution.

The Ministry of Health needs to continue to complete the resolution to soon submit to the Politburo.

The Deputy PM suggested focusing on clarifying and highlighting population policy and human health care.

Appreciating comments from the Ministry of Justice, the Deputy PM agreed that it was necessary to develop health standards and criteria when formulating policies, at least for basic indicators, and clearly define a specific implementation roadmap.

At the same time, it needs to research and clarify solutions in investment, facilities, medical equipment, salary regimes, and welfare policies for medical staff, with specific explanatory data attached.

It is necessary to design and propose a model for organising local health apparatus in the direction of eliminating intermediaries.

Deputy PM Long said that the draft resolution needed to review policies, achievements, shortcomings, limitations, causes and highlight new points as well as differences compared to the present, thereby clarifying the resolution’s necessity. — VNS