Can Tho invests in health care and education: Foundation for sustainable poverty reduction

Can Tho promotes the sustainable poverty reduction program for the 2021-2025 period, focusing on investment in health, education and livelihoods, aiming to leave no one behind.

Can Tho has recently seriously implemented Directive No. 05-CT/TW dated June 23, 2021 of the 13th Party Central Committee Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership in sustainable poverty reduction by 2030, and is also one of the key localities implementing the national poverty reduction program for the period 2021-2025. Since the beginning of the term, the city has strongly shifted to multidimensional poverty reduction, improving the quality of life of the people, not only reducing the number of poor households but also reducing the lack of access to basic social services.

According to statistics, the poverty rate in the whole city has now decreased to about 0.85% and the target set by the end of 2025 is only 0.63%. There are communes such as Truong Thanh that have reduced the poverty rate to a very low rate (about 0.12%). This demonstrates the synchronous participation of the entire political system from the city to the grassroots and the initiative of the people.

Leaders of the Can Tho City Party Committee and People's Committee presented gifts to households. Photo: Ta Quang

Access to basic social policies and services

One of the highlights is the ability to access poverty reduction policies and social services for poor households, near-poor households, and households that have just escaped poverty. Can Tho has implemented many solutions: reviewing poor households, near-poor households; issuing health insurance cards to the poor; supporting housing; supporting tuition fees for students; supporting livelihoods and creating jobs for ethnic minority households. The city has also mobilized more than 2,400 billion VND from the "For the Poor" Fund in 5 years, building and repairing more than 15,000 houses for poor households, near-poor households, and households with especially difficult housing circumstances.

By investing to ensure people have access to clean water, decent housing, health insurance and educational support, Can Tho has initially overcome the problem of "lack of access to basic social services" - one of the conditions of the multidimensional poverty standard. Because households that do not have access to health care, education, housing, etc. are very likely to fall back into poverty or cannot escape poverty sustainably.

Doctors provide free consultation and medical examination to the poor and Agent Orange victims. Photo: Xuan Dao.

Eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses to improve living conditions

The movement "Join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses" in Can Tho is an important step to improve the quality of housing for poor and near-poor households. The city has identified the criteria: poor households, near-poor households, people with revolutionary contributions, people affected by natural disasters... must be supported with safe and stable housing. By early 2025, the city has launched a plan to eliminate 100% of temporary and dilapidated houses for poor and near-poor households in the area.

Having good housing not only helps people settle down and work, but also creates conditions for them to feel secure in production, business, and escape poverty. Stable housing also helps improve access to other social services such as health care, education, and information.

Multidimensional poverty standards for the period 2022-2025 and management decentralization

Can Tho has shifted strongly to a multidimensional poverty standard – instead of relying solely on income criteria, the new standard considers access to basic social services: health, education, housing, clean water, information, and employment. This means that any household lacking one or more basic social services will be identified as lacking access and given priority for support.

Regarding decentralization, the city issued Plan No. 77/KH-UBND dated September 17, 2025, clearly assigning tasks to communes, wards, and departments. Grassroots levels are given more initiative in choosing livelihood models, mobilizing businesses and social organizations to participate in support, and at the same time publicly and transparently implementing the list of poor and near-poor households. The coordination mechanism between the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Justice, Policy Bank, Vietnam Fatherland Front and organizations is strengthened for unified implementation from the city to communes and wards.

Good model, mobilizing community resources

Can Tho has spread poverty reduction models associated with digital transformation, agricultural development, collective economy and community tourism. For example, the model of mud-free eel farming, straw mushroom cultivation, traditional weaving model of the Khmer people... has helped many poor households and ethnic minority households have a stable income. More than 9,380 workers from poor, near-poor and newly escaped poverty households have received vocational training and job support; more than 449 poverty reduction models have been built and replicated.

The "Day for the Poor" movement, community mobilization activities to support the Fund for the Poor... have created spiritual and social motivation for people to proactively rise up, become self-reliant and self-reliant. This is very important because sustainable poverty reduction is not only supported by the State but also requires the participation of the community and the poor themselves.

Existing problems and directions for the next stage

Despite impressive results, there are still limitations. First of all, access to high-tech medical services, especially in ethnic minority areas, riverside areas, and disadvantaged areas, is still low. If people get seriously ill, they still have to travel far, incurring high costs - the risk of falling back into poverty still exists.

Communication and access to policy information in some areas are still uneven; a segment of the population still waits for support or has not yet taken the initiative to rise up. In addition, the mobilization of social resources is still limited, although good results have been achieved in mobilizing house building and livelihood support.

In the 2026-2030 period, Can Tho sets a clear direction: improving the quality of life of poor households/people who have not escaped poverty, ensuring access to healthcare, education, and employment, aiming for "no one is left behind". The multidimensional poverty standard will be updated, the grassroots healthcare network will continue to be invested in, sustainable livelihood models will be replicated, and digital transformation in supporting poor households will be better utilized.

Poverty reduction work in Can Tho in recent years has made a strong impression: the poverty rate has decreased sharply, housing has been improved, basic social services have been expanded, and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and newly escaped-poverty households have received more attention. In addition, the application of digital transformation, mobilization of internal community resources and enhancement of local capacity have created new steps in sustainable poverty reduction.

However, the journey ahead still has much to do: ensuring equitable access to high-tech healthcare, improving the quality of social services in disadvantaged areas, creating sustainable livelihoods and continuing to motivate people to promote their will to rise up. With high political determination and the cooperation of the whole society, Can Tho is fully capable of successfully achieving the goal of sustainable poverty reduction, maintaining achievements and expanding the quality of life for the people.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/can-tho-dau-tu-cho-y-te-giao-duc-nen-tang-giam-ngheo-ben-vung-169251103103103029.htm