Preventive medicine ignored: Deputy PM

“The
National Assembly approved a resolution in 2008 to spend 30 percent of the
national on preventive healthcare, but currently none of the
provinces have spent more than 25 percent,” he said.

“In some
highland areas you can travel all day without seeing a medical centre, while it
takes only 10-15 minutes to find one in the plains,” he added. “Some medical
staff have not been assigned jobs to improve their skills.”

Health
Minister Nguyen Kim Tien, also speaking at the event, said the General
Department of Preventive Medicine, founded 60 years ago, had defeated diseases
such as smallpox, polio, neonatal tatenus, cholera, plague and malaria. It was
recognised by the World Health Organisation as the first country to control the
SARS epidemic after 45 days, in 2003, she said.

“Preventive
healthcare services have become a specialised branch with modern technologies
and capable personnel, as well as extensive study and application of advanced
preventive healthcare solutions,” she added.

The Expanded
Programme on Immunisation covered every commune in the country, immunising all
children under five against infectious diseases. The national vaccine
management system was able to produce 10 of 12 vaccines for the programme at
international standards.

Apart from
acknowledging the achievements of the system, Dam said that in order for
preventive healthcare to be truly effective, the medical sector should revise
its human resources training system and financial mechanism.

He stressed
the importance of combining and disease prevention in medical
practice, while acknowledging the challenges of socio-economic development,
globalisation, an aging population, environmental pollution and climate change.

At the
ceremony, the General Department of Preventive Medicine was awarded with the
second class Labour Medal. Twenty collectives and 99 individuals received the Dang
Van Ngu Award from the health ministry for their excellent contribution to the
preventive healthcare system.-VNA