Target program on local health system development approved

VGP – The PM has recently approved the target program on the development of the local health system in the period of 2016-2020, which seeks to support public health institutions in localities in upgrading medical infrastructure and improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, towards meeting the healthcare needs of the people.

August 29, 2017 11:17 AM GMT+7

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Accordingly, the program will contribute to achieving the target of 26.5 beds per 10,000 patients by 2020; continue investing in and completing 64 transitional projects, which were already invested between 2011-2015 but have yet to be finished due to the lack of funding; and implement at least 28 new projects from 2016 to 2020 (maybe up to 52 projects if there is a supplementary funding from the central budget).

The total costs for the target program will be roughly VND19.83 trillion (US$872.52 million) (which could be adjusted up to a maximum of VND22.5 trillion, equivalent to US$990 million), including approximately VND2.39 trillion (US$105.11 million) in development investment capital from the central budget, VND4.94 trillion (US$217.36 million) in ODA and sponsored capital, VND10 trillion (US$440 million) from the local budget and lottery, and VND2.5 trillion (US$110 million) from other sources.

The program is composed of three sub-projects, with the first one looking towards supporting modern medical examination and treatment establishments, as part of the implementation of the hospital overload reduction project in the 2013-2020 period.

The second sub-project will support investments in traditional medical examination and treatment institutions, contributing to executing the project to build and upgrade the system of traditional medicinal hospitals between 2014 and 2025. Accordingly, medical examination and treatment with traditional medicine expected to account for over 20% of the total medical examination and treatment cases at the provincial level in 2020.

The third sub-project will focus on supporting investments in coastal and island healthcare establishments, as part of the implementation of the Viet Nam sea and island heath system until 2020. The total funding for this sub-project is around VND1.59 trillion (US$69.96 million), which will be used to build infrastructure and buy medical equipment for some medical facilities in the sea and island region, aiming to meet the islanders’ healthcare demand.

By Vien Nhu