According to leaders of the Ministry of Health, this approach affirms the sector’s development goals in the new period.
Statistics on the health indices of Vietnamese people have shown many improvements in recent years. However, the unpredictable developments of infectious diseases and the increase in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular, hypertension, cancer, etc. have posed demands for changes in mindset as well as in action programmes.
Today, healthcare does not start from the hospital bed but from the community, from daily life. When people’s disease risks are detected early, when they are counselled locally and their health is monitored regularly, the burden on hospitals will be reduced, costs for families will be lowered, and, more importantly, the quality of life for the whole society will be enhanced.
At a working session with the Party Committee of the Government and relevant ministries and agencies to assess the results of implementing the Party Central Committee’s resolution on public healthcare and to outline future directions, General Secretary To Lam concluded, “I agree to implement the policy of periodic health check-ups for the people at least once a year.”
This is not only a professional goal but also a reminder that public healthcare cannot wait until illness occurs, and no one should be left behind. In line with this policy, the Ministry of Health has identified strengthening grassroots healthcare as the foundation, digital transformation as the lever, and periodic health check-ups for the entire population as a fundamental step.
Not only the Ministry of Health but also many localities have paid attention to implementing programmes and projects in public healthcare, focusing on bringing modern technology to the grassroots level, from transferring techniques to digitising health records.
In the coming time, the Ministry of Health has identified three major orientations. First, making periodic health check-ups for the entire population a national health target. This is an important step to detect diseases early, intervene early, and effectively prevent illnesses, especially non-communicable diseases, right from the community before they become a burden on hospitals and families.
Second, ensuring equitable access to healthcare is a consistent principle. Accordingly, the entire sector focuses on narrowing the medical gap between regions and population groups, improving the capacity of grassroots healthcare, modernising health stations, and promoting comprehensive digital transformation so that whether in urban or rural areas, people can access essential health services promptly, humanely, and equally.
Third, building a smart provincial health network, where each locality proactively creates its own digital health ecosystem (electronic health records, remote consultations and examinations, early epidemic warnings, treatment support with artificial intelligence). This is the foundation to shift from reactive to predictive healthcare, from manual management to data-driven administration, for the health of the people.
The future of the health sector will be measured by its ability to reach each individual faster, closer, and more humanely. And the only way to realise this is to build a grassroots healthcare system that is strong and modern enough, where technology goes hand in hand with the community, and where people are placed at the centre of all policies.
