Leveraging innovation in the healthcare system to adapt to new challenges.

Improving the quality of social care for vulnerable groups is one of the priorities of the National Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Le Thu Hang, Deputy Director of Planning-Finance Department ( Ministry of Health ) stated that the National Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035 is not designed to address all issues related to the protection, care and improvement of people's health as well as population and development.

The program aims to support only the core, fundamental, and leverage-based elements to drive the momentum of continuous innovation in the healthcare system to effectively adapt to the challenges of the new situation.

In order to effectively respond to changes related to healthcare, population, and development in the new context, the National Target Program on Healthcare, Population, and Development for the period 2026-2035 has been developed with many new features, and is considered to be quite different from the National Target Program on Health and Population for the period 2016-2020.

Accordingly, the National Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035 no longer focuses on addressing priority health issues through purely medical interventions, but has been expanded to aim at improving the physical and mental health, stature, life expectancy, and quality of life of the people through integrated interventions. Similarly, priorities for population and development work have been broadened compared to before, with an emphasis on improving the quality of the population, adapting to the trend of population aging and the elderly population. In addition, improving the quality of social care for vulnerable groups is considered a priority for the first time.

Notably, there has been a significant shift from a mindset focused on diagnosis and treatment to one that emphasizes proactive disease prevention, focusing on protecting, caring for, and improving overall health continuously throughout the life cycle.

In addition, the vertical intervention approach (characterized by a set of separate interventions targeting individual health problems) is being replaced by an approach that focuses on the core components of the health system (such as primary healthcare and preventive medicine) to enhance overall capacity.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Le Thu Hang stated that the National Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035 has closely followed the strategic priority directions for protecting, caring for, and improving people's health in the new situation, as defined in Resolution No. 72 NQ/TW of the Politburo on some breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection and care of people's health.

This involves prioritizing the improvement of people's physical and mental health, stature, longevity, and quality of life through integrated interventions (prevention, diagnosis and treatment, management, health promotion, social assistance, community support, etc.).

Activities aimed at early detection and screening of diseases will also be given priority.

The National Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035 is designed to focus on upgrading and innovating two crucial components of the national health system (primary healthcare and preventive healthcare). It correctly identifies the position and role of preventive healthcare, primary healthcare, and traditional medicine; focuses on building, perfecting, and enhancing the capacity of preventive healthcare and the primary healthcare system to ensure early, remote, and grassroots disease prevention, and readiness to respond to public health emergencies; and prioritizes the comprehensive development and investment in human resources, facilities, and equipment for commune-level health stations to meet requirements and tasks.

The core tasks and solutions outlined in Resolution No. 72 NQ/TW (improving the capacity of primary healthcare and preventive medicine; the leading role of the State budget in ensuring financial resources and investing in infrastructure and medical equipment for primary healthcare, preventive medicine, and healthcare for priority groups; and focusing on digital transformation) are also clearly reflected in the content of the National Target Program on Healthcare, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035.

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