The draft Political Report to be submitted to the 14th National Party Congress is attracting comments from many Party members and people in Lang Son province, especially on contents related to the fields of health care and socio-economic development in rural and border areas.

Increase investment in primary health care

Section VIII of the draft Report clearly states the goal of building a fair, high-quality, effective and sustainable health system; focusing on improving the quality and skills in disease prevention, examination and treatment, and controlling epidemics; effectively implementing the National Target Program on health care and population; especially improving the quality and efficiency of the health service delivery network from the central to grassroots levels to respond to changes in disease trends and universal health coverage.

Many opinions suggest adding a separate section on "comprehensive development of border and island areas" in the draft Party Congress documents to help emphasize the strategic position of this area, creating a clearer basis for policy planning.

Mr. Nong Van Du, Party cell secretary and head of Na Tong village (Hoang Van Thu border commune) affirmed that he agreed with and responded to the orientations stated in the draft Political Report; in which, the most important content is ensuring progress, social justice, caring for people's lives, striving to achieve the goal of basically having no poor households by 2030, people receiving free health check-ups at least once a year and basically exempting hospital fees for all people.

Living in a mountainous border area, Mr. Nong Van Du frankly commented that the quality of medical services between the provincial and communal levels is not equal. The medical staff, especially at the communal level in difficult and border areas, is still lacking in quantity and quality.

The main reason is that the remuneration policy is not commensurate with the need to retain and attract talented people to difficult mountainous areas. Therefore, the draft report needs to provide clear solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of the health service delivery network.

For example, increasing public investment in commune and ward health stations; breakthrough policies on medical human resources, including training, intensive training, and rotation of doctors to the grassroots level; building specific policies on incentives to attract good doctors and talented people to work with peace of mind; continuing to have policies to support health insurance for people in border and mountainous areas.

Comprehensive development of border areas

Lang Son is a mountainous province with more than 231.7 km of border adjacent to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China). The socio -economic development situation in the border communes and highland areas of Lang Son province has not achieved the desired results.

The economic scale is still small, budget revenue is low; the multidimensional poverty rate is still high (14.9% in 2024 and higher than the national average of 5.71%); the urbanization rate is low (about 23%); the rate of trained workers is modest (about 60%); mountainous terrain accounts for 80% of the province's area, is isolated and is heavily affected by natural disasters and climate change, causing difficulties and increasing costs for infrastructure works, especially rural transport and irrigation.

The draft Political Report submitted to the 14th National Party Congress demonstrates a consistent spirit in socio-economic development associated with ensuring national defense and security in border areas.

The contents emphasize the requirement to build a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developed border; at the same time, focus on developing education and training, and social security in mountainous, border, island and ethnic minority areas.

As a person who regularly follows information on mass media, Mr. Duong Xuan Tuong (residing in Ky Lua ward) said that the draft Report has provided quite comprehensive contents related to socio-economic development in border areas.

Specifically, it clearly states the policy of "building and strengthening a border of peace, friendship, security, cooperation and development." This is the right orientation, demonstrating the economic development of border areas associated with regional integration, affirming the connection between protecting territorial sovereignty and developing border socio-economy.

In addition, the draft has given important emphasis on "harmonious development of education among regions; prioritizing investment in education in mountainous, remote, border and island areas"; the policy of "developing Party organizations and Party members among workers, laborers, people in rural areas, mountainous, border, island and ethnic minority areas" is an important political foundation to consolidate the great solidarity bloc and improve leadership capacity in border areas.

According to Mr. Tuong, the issue of socio-economic development in border areas in the current context is very important, but the contents related to this issue in the draft are scattered in many parts and lack systematization.

Therefore, he proposed to build a separate section on "comprehensive development of border and island areas" to help emphasize the strategic position of this area, creating a clearer basis for policy planning.

In addition, the draft Report does not clearly show the orientations for developing border gate economy, border trade, logistics, commodity agriculture, or cross-border economic corridors associated with the goal of protecting national territorial sovereignty and promoting cross-border trade.

Along with that, the Party, State, relevant ministries and branches need to study and supplement specific policies to support socio-economic development associated with strengthening national defense and security in border areas; in which, focusing on building people's infrastructure, population distribution, new rural development... to improve the lives of people in border areas./.