Caring for the people's "most valuable asset"

Discussing the draft Resolution of the National Assembly on a number of breakthrough mechanisms and policies for the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health and the investment policy for the National Target Program on health care, population and development for the period 2026 - 2035, a number of National Assembly deputies emphasized that investing in health, the "most valuable capital" of the people, will become the "capital" that generates the greatest profit for the future of the nation.

Clarifying priority subjects and roadmap to reduce medical costs for people

Agreeing with the necessity of issuing a National Assembly Resolution on a number of breakthrough mechanisms and policies for the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health and the investment policy for the National Target Program on health care, population and development for the period 2026 - 2035, National Assembly Deputy Duong Khac Mai ( Lam Dong ) emphasized that taking care of the "most precious capital" of the people demonstrates the superiority of our regime.

National Assembly Deputy Duong Khac Mai (Lam Dong) speaks. Photo: Ho Long

Delegate Duong Khac Mai highly appreciated the provisions on expanding health care benefits and reducing medical costs for people in Article 2 of the draft Resolution; believing that this content clearly demonstrates the humanity, progress and inclusive development orientation of the national health policy. The delegate also emphasized that this is a very accurate and timely orientation, meeting the expectations of the people, especially the poor, the disadvantaged, the elderly, people in mountainous, remote, disadvantaged and ethnic minority areas.

In addition, delegate Duong Khac Mai suggested that it is necessary to further specify the roadmap for increasing the benefit level, moving towards exemption of hospital fees in Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 2 of the draft Resolution, linked to the targets on balancing the Health Insurance Fund and the state budget. Because in practice, the need for medical examination and treatment increases very rapidly with the rate of population aging and the increase in non-communicable diseases. "If the roadmap is not designed tightly enough, it can lead to the risk of imbalance in the health insurance fund in the medium and long term. Health care for the people is only truly sustainable when the Health Insurance Fund is operated safely, stably and transparently," the delegate emphasized.

National Assembly Delegate Le Thi Ngoc Linh ( Ca Mau ) speaks. Photo: Pham Thang

National Assembly Deputy Le Thi Ngoc Linh (Ca Mau) also basically agreed with the solutions to gradually reduce medical costs for people in Article 2 of the draft Resolution and requested the drafting agency to research and provide more specific instructions, especially related to priority groups and implementation roadmap; at the same time, ensuring financial resources and service provision capacity.

Ensuring resources to implement the Program

Concerned about investment resources for the National Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026 - 2035, National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Van Manh (Phu Tho) noticed that the investment level for the health care goals and the population and development goals of the Program has not received due attention. The inspection report of the Committee on Culture and Society pointed out that the investment level for population and development contents only accounts for 15.5%, including the local budget. Compared to the total investment level in the period 2026 - 2030, the central budget capital for the entire 5-year period is 68,000 billion VND, while the sub-projects directly addressing population and development issues in the program are only allocated about 6,000 billion VND, accounting for about 8.9%.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Van Manh (Phu Tho) speaks. Photo: Ho Long

Delegate Nguyen Van Manh said that allocating resources as above in each sub-project does not ensure balance and harmony in implementation and will make it very difficult to achieve important population and development goals set out in the Program.

Similarly, for the tasks of maintaining replacement fertility, improving population quality, and adapting to population aging, Resolution 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo has identified specific tasks and solutions for the issue of fertility, improving population quality, and adapting to population aging, including solutions to adapt to population aging through investment in developing geriatric hospitals or general hospitals with geriatric specialties, with the requirement that each province or centrally-run city have at least one specialized hospital, one geriatric hospital or general hospital with geriatric specialties, to provide better health care for the elderly.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Pham Thang

However, delegate Nguyen Van Manh pointed out that the content of investment in building geriatric hospitals or general hospitals with geriatric specialties and developing elderly care facilities has not been specified by the Ministry of Health in the National Target Program on People's Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026 - 2035; proposed that the Government balance the development investment capital sources arranged in the Program to arrange investment capital for sub-projects to improve population quality and sub-projects to adapt to population aging and healthcare for the elderly.

In addition, the delegate said that the Program still focuses on using the state budget for implementation while the role of other capital sources is very small. The total budget for the 2026 - 2030 period in the program is 88.6 trillion VND, of which the state budget of both central and local levels is 88/88.6 trillion VND, accounting for 99.33%; other capital sources are only 594 billion VND and accounting for about 0.67%. Raising this issue, the delegate pointed out that if we only rely on the state budget and do not have solutions or mechanisms and policies strong enough to mobilize and attract resources from the whole society, it will be difficult to achieve the goals of the Program, not fully concretizing the spirit of Resolution 72 of the Politburo.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Quang Khanh

“This national target program will only be truly meaningful if we shift from a cure mindset to a prevention mindset, from health spending to investing in health from the root, from assigning individual responsibility to system responsibility in protecting people from risks from the environment and lifestyle… Every investment in the Program today will become the most profitable capital for the people and for the future of the country”. Emphasizing this point of view, National Assembly Deputy Pham Trong Nhan (Ho Chi Minh City) also suggested that it is necessary to make a breakthrough in grassroots health care, where chronic diseases are prevented and detected early. It is necessary to ensure minimum resources and funding for commune health stations; deploy chronic disease management in the community with health insurance coverage, increase small testing capacity, connect electronic health records and reduce the abuse of high-tech testing that is not really necessary.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/cham-lo-von-quy-nhat-cua-nhan-dan-10397918.html