Vi Thị Đậu examines a patient at the Tam Hợp Commune Medical Station in Quỳ Hợp District. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Tý

Prof. Dr Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, said that in the context of rapid social development and increasing demand for medical services, patient-centred care is the consistent goal of the new Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, which took effect from January 1, 2024. The health sector has implemented many important solutions to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment.

Infrastructure is an important foundation for providing medical services. In the current reality, upgrading and expanding hospitals and medical facilities is necessary to ensure modern and convenient facilities for patients.
n recent years, many hospitals have been newly built or renovated with advanced medical equipment, to serve more effective diagnosis and treatment. Notably, public hospitals, non-public hospitals and grassroots medical facilities have invested heavily in infrastructure, from outpatient clinics and inpatient treatment areas to high-level specialised areas. Modern medical equipment such as CT and MRI machines, endoscopy systems and international standard operating rooms have been put into use, helping to improve the ability to diagnose and treat complex diseases.

Along with the investment in infrastructure, the health sector has also focused on improving the quality of human resources. Humans are identified as the decisive factor in all activities in the health sector, so enhancing training and professional improvement for doctors and physicians is one of the most important solutions to improve the quality of health services.

Continuous training programmes, specialised training and encouragement of studying and working abroad have been implemented. Leading medical universities such as the Hanoi Medical University and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy have cooperated with international medical facilities to introduce advanced training programmes. This has not only helped doctors and physicians master modern medical techniques but also improved communication skills and care for patients.

The healthcare industry has strongly applied information technology, such as building and developing an electronic health record system, to help manage the patients’ information effectively, reduce errors and save time.

In addition, the Hospital Information System (HIS), the picture archiving and communication system (PACS), and the laboratory information system (LIS) have been widely applied, optimising the workflow. These systems allow doctors and medical staff to quickly and accurately access the patients’ information, thereby making more effective treatment decisions.

In addition, the use of mobile applications and online platforms has also helped people easily access medical information, make appointments and receive online test results.

To reduce the burden on central hospitals and support patients in remote areas, telemedicine services have been widely deployed to help patients easily access high-quality medical services, without travelling to higher-level hospitals.

The application of online appointment booking systems, cashless payments, and the provision of medical consultation services via telephone, helps patients save time and effort.

To ensure the quality of medical services, it is necessary to implement high-quality standards and procedures, not only in Vietnam but also abroad.

According to the new Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, quality standards in medical examination and treatment are regulated in four types, including basic quality standards, advanced quality standards, specialised quality standards and technical quality standards, under the assessment of management agencies, and domestic and international independent quality certification organisations, towards improving the quality and safety in medical examination and treatment.

Hospitals and medical facilities will have to operate a comprehensive quality management system, from patient admission, diagnosis, and treatment, to post-treatment monitoring. In addition, periodic and unscheduled quality inspections and assessments have been conducted, to promptly detect and correct problems. Maintaining high-quality criteria and standards, not only helps improve service quality but also creates trust for patients.
Innovating grassroots health care operations so that people can enjoy better health care services is something that the health sector has always paid attention to. One of solutions is developing remote medical examination and treatment services.

The Ministry of Health has carried out a project on remote medical examination and treatment for the 2020-2025 period which aims to strengthen the professional capacity of grassroots-level healthcare establishments as well as spread the professional knowledge of doctors from central-level hospitals to people and health workers across the country.

According to Assoc., Dr. Lương Ngọc Khuê,  technology used in examination and treatment through the telemedicine programme is a big change, with the goal of developing the healthcare sector in a modern direction and approaching international standards.

Technology makes communication easier between medical facilities across the country with a huge amount of information exchanged directly at any time.

Advances in technology give doctors more time in the race to save lives.

“For example, echocardiography is a difficult technique in medicine. Thanks to the technology and telemedicine programme, doctors in Hà Nội can monitor the echocardiography for patients in mountainous and remote areas,” the director said.

“Doctors at central-level hospitals can co-ordinate with doctors in many other provinces and cities to consult and treat severe cases at grassroots healthcare facilities so patients do not need transferring to other hospitals,” he said.

Currently, people can book medical examinations and treatment appointments in many hospitals by phone, or through internet applications without having to queue and register.

Thanks to the technology application in medical examination and treatment, patients not only have access to advanced medical examination and treatment services but also save time, costs and reduce risks during treatment.
Continuing to renovate and perfect the health system of our country in the direction of equity, efficiency and development, especially at grassroots level, preventative medicine network; and ensuring the health of the people are an important policy of the Party and State. Increasing investment and innovation in the health sector will make an important contribution to the successful implementation of the country's goals in socio-economic development in the new period (2021 – 2030).
In order to improve the capacity of the health sector, to meet the requirements of national industrialization and modernization in the coming time, I think it is necessary to strengthen the leadership of the Party and government, and promote the participation of socio-political associations in the protection, care and improvement of the people's health. It is necessary to improve the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control, and promptly respond to emergency situations. It is necessary to ensure sufficient vaccines for all.

At the same time, it is necessary to continue to consolidate the organization, network and equipment for the preventative medicine system, ensuring that preventative medicine facilities are qualified and capable of performing their professional tasks, meeting and responding to disease prevention requirements for the people. It is necessary to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, to basically overcome the hospital overload.

In addition, it is necessary to continue to renovate and consolidate the medical network, perfect the system of medical organizations from central to local level in the direction of streamlining effectiveness, efficiency and international integration. It is necessary to increase investment and accelerate the process of restructuring the state budget in the health sector in order to have the resources to comprehensively implement the protection, care and improvement of the people's health, especial ly in remote areas.

In particular, we need to pay attention to training a team of health workers with an excellent work ethic in all fields, paying attention to the grassroots medical teams in particular. In reality, our grassroots health remuneration is still low, not strong enough to motivate, develop and specialize sufficiently in terms of our grassroots health human resources. Currently, the number of doctors per capita compared to the world average is still low, so it is necessary to continue to have high-quality medical universities to train and promptly supplement the number of doctors in the near future.