President honours top physicians

09:42, 2014/02/28

President Truong Tan Sang yesterday presented the title of People`s Doctor to 67 outstanding physicians at a ceremony to celebrate the 59th year of Viet Nam Physicians` Day.

The President called on the health sector to implement critical reforms, including the extension of the healthcare network, improving the quality of checkups and treatment, and improving professionalism in the industry.

Sang also said that demonstrating ethics and integrity was vital to the role of physicians and medical staff in delivering top-notch health services.

Also yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam urged the health sector to push up health care initiatives and praised the efforts of doctors and medical staff in treating and preventing disease.

Speaking at a conference on the rollout of health programmes in 2014, Dam called on the health ministry to target patient satisfaction through the improvement of medical services, the medical ethics of doctors and medical staff, an increase in health equity and transparency in examination and treatment.

The deputy PM also suggested the sector take full advantage of existing medical facilities at the central and local levels and investment sources in the private sector to handle shortcomings due to hospital congestion and the shortage of beds and human resources.

Dam added that the sector should review and reform medical education; financial mechanisms; and policies for medical workers in mountainous and remote areas or difficult fields such as preventive medicine, tuberculosis treatment and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the sector will focus on handling hospital congestion, disease and dangerous epidemic prevention, human resource training and improvements in medical ethics in 2014.

Tien noted that the sector has been facing many challenges posed by the increasing demand for quality health care, changes in morbidity trends, complicated developments in communicable diseases, and emerging diseases, as well as epidemics.

Low expenditures for health care, limited quantity and quality of medical workers at the community level, inadequate infrastructure, and a shortage of medical facilities also influenced the quality of medical services, she said.

At the event, the health ministry launched a patriotic emulation movement with a focus on improving patient satisfaction and confidence in the health sector.

The movement aims to improve medical ethics among doctors and health staff; improve examination and treatment methods; strengthen the health care system at the grassroots level; and educate the public on various health policies, including universal health insurance, encouraging Vietnamese people to use locally manufactured medicines.

Disease prevention and food safety and hygiene are also covered under the movement.

The ministry's statistics showed that the country had 22.5 beds for every 10,000 people, far below the World Health Organisation's recommendation of 39 beds.

Health insurance coverage reached nearly 70 per cent of the country's population, seeing low participation from near-poor and middle-income groups.

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