Doctor gives examine to a patient in Ngọc Tố Commune of Sóc Trăng City's Mỹ District. The Ministry of Health has carried out projects on capability improvement to medical workers in grassroots level clinics. — VNA/VNS Photo An Hiếu

HÀ NỘI — The health care sector has been focusing on improving clinics in communes to enhance primary health care services.

Ministry of Health (MoH) statistics show the country’ health care system is expanding from central to local levels, and there are more than 11,000 clinics in communes in countryside areas.

Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến said commune-level clinics needed more attention to increase doctors’ capabilities because they were considered 'gatekeepers' in primary health care.

Doctors' skills at clinics were found lacking in a survey run by the Health Care Strategy and Policy Institute, with some lacking the skills to treat common diseases like diarrhoea, respiratory infections, high blood pressure or provide first aid in poisoning cases.

Medical workers at commune clinics did not have updated knowledge on diagnosis and treatment, the survey found.

To help local-level clinics meet the needs of citizens, the health care sector has been carrying out a programme on clinic improvement nationwide.

 Patient receiving medicines in a clinic in the central province of Hà Tĩnh. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Ngà

Under the programme, the medical workers engaging in primary health care services would be provided with comprehensive training to better respond to changes in disease patterns.

The MoH has implemented a project on Health Professional Education and Training for Health System Reforms (HPET), one of few projects the ministry has ran using loans from the European Union. 

The project provided training on family health care knowledge for medical workers from central to local level medical entities.

As of March this year, a total 250 training courses were held for nearly 8,000 medical workers in primary health care service in commune-level clinics including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and management officials.

The training for primary health care workers at grassroots levels reached 80 per cent of the target.

The programme aimed to help commune-level clinics shift to family health care services. — VNS

health check up at a clinic in Thái Nguyên Province. — VNA/VNS Photo