Comprehensive health care for ethnic minorities

BHG - After more than 4 years of implementing Project 7, under the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas in the province, many positive results have been achieved. The project contributes to improving health care for the people, improving population quality, and opening up opportunities for comprehensive development for ethnic minorities.

Our province has 87.7% of ethnic minority population, life is still difficult, access to health services is limited. Project 7, National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas demonstrates the attention of the Party and State, creating a new vitality for the comprehensive development of ethnic minority areas. The project focuses on the following contents: Reproductive health care, maternal and child health; prevention and control of child malnutrition; propaganda andeducation to raise awareness of health care, nutrition, environmental sanitation; early detection and intervention of common diseases. To implement the program, the Provincial People's Committee annually issues plans and allocates capital to departments, branches and localities to actively implement. On that basis, the Department of Health develops a plan to direct departments and affiliated units to coordinate with local authorities to organize implementation and supervision to ensure the project is on schedule.

Primary health care for people at Thong Nguyen Regional General Clinic (Hoang Su Phi).

With 95.5% of ethnic minorities living, Hoang Su Phi is a locality that has implemented the health care program well, improving the health and stature of the people. From 2021 to present, the district has trained to improve the capacity of health workers to examine, treat, prevent and control infectious diseases. Thereby, the vaccination coverage rate reached 100%; 193/199 villages have active village health care; the full vaccination rate reached 94% of the assigned target; the rate of stunted children under 5 years old in 2024 decreased to 26.72%. At the same time, promote propaganda and mobilize women to have regular pregnancy check-ups, pregnancy care consultation, and health check-ups for children under 2 years old. Organize communication to improve health care skills for the elderly in 10 disadvantaged communes with 2,700 listeners; provide periodic health check-ups for 3,172 elderly people.

Doctor Nguyen Van Thang, Director of Hoang Su Phi District Health Center shared: Thanks to the effective implementation of Project 7, the professional capacity of the medical staff has been gradually improved, the grassroots health system has been consolidated. The targets for vaccination, regular pregnancy check-ups, childbirth at health facilities, and health care for children and the elderly have all met and exceeded the plan compared to the previous period. From there, it has contributed to improving health care work, gradually improving the physical condition and stature of ethnic minorities.

Medical staff promote nutritional health care for children in Can Chu Phin commune (Meo Vac).

Implementing Project 7, the Department of Health has deployed capital to invest in facilities and equipment for district health centers and commune health stations to improve the quality of the grassroots network. Thereby, the total number of medical examination and treatment facilities with technical expertise has increased to 212 units; 100% of commune, ward and town health stations are qualified to implement initial health care contents for the people. In order for people to have better access to health services, the Department also regularly mobilizes provincial-level officials to provide professional support to lower-level levels to improve the effectiveness of health activities in remote and extremely difficult areas.

Mr. Vu Hung Vuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said: In the 2021-2025 period, the health sector has implemented many synchronous solutions, considering health care work, improving the health and stature of ethnic minorities as the top priority task. Thanks to that, the expanded vaccination coverage rate in 192 communes within the project scope reached 100%; all project areas have effective village nurses. The sector also implemented 53 models of "Nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life" to prevent and combat malnutrition for mothers and children, helping to reduce the rate of malnourished children under 5 years old to 16.2% by 2024. Notably, Ha Giang is one of 5 localities nationwide to early implement activities to prevent and combat Thalassemia (congenital hemolytic anemia) in 9 extremely disadvantaged communes with 863 participants. Along with that, the industry also regularly organizes pre-marital health consultation and examination campaigns for 3,578 people; prenatal screening for 22,041 pregnant mothers and newborn screening for 9,634 children.

In addition to the positive results, the implementation of Project 7 still faces many difficulties due to the influence of backward customs that still exist in some ethnic minority areas. Therefore, in the coming time, the health sector and localities need to continue to promote the implementation of the goals and targets of Project 7, and deploy key and focal solutions.

Article and photos: HOANG HA

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/xa-hoi/202505/cham-soc-suc-khoe-toan-dien-cho-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-1070cfc/