Bringing traditional medicine back to the community.

(Chinhphu.vn) - On the afternoon of May 20, at the Party Central Headquarters, General Secretary and President To Lam chaired a working session with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Health on the work of Vietnamese traditional medicine.

General Secretary and President To Lam delivers a speech - Photo: VNA

Also attending the working session were: Comrade Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Deputy Prime Minister ; members of the Central Committee of the Party, and leaders of several relevant agencies.

At the meeting, Comrade Dao Hong Lan, Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Party Committee, and Minister of Health, reported on the work of traditional Vietnamese medicine.

After hearing reports and exchanging opinions at the meeting, General Secretary and President To Lam delivered a concluding speech emphasizing that Vietnam is entering a new phase, requiring improvements in population quality, human resource quality, and the development of the biotechnology and traditional medicine industries. Vietnam is facing tremendous opportunities for development.

Developing traditional medicine does not mean returning to outdated, manual methods.

To create a historic transformation for Vietnamese traditional medicine, the General Secretary and President suggested that a new mindset, a new vision, and a new approach are needed. Developing traditional medicine should not mean returning to outdated, manual methods, but rather inheriting and developing the essence of our ancestors, built upon modern science and technology, and becoming an integral part of national medicine, a resource for national development in the new era.

The General Secretary and President emphasized that the development of traditional medicine must be placed within the overall national development strategy for the new period - Photo: VNA

Emphasizing the strategic directions for the development of Vietnamese traditional medicine, the General Secretary and President requested that the development of traditional medicine be placed within the overall national development strategy in the new period; that a national traditional medicine ecosystem be developed, and that traditional medicine be viewed in relation to the national health economy and soft power development strategy; and that research be conducted to build and expand some pilot models of health care centers, nutrition zones, wellness zones, medicinal herb villages, and medicinal herb development areas linked to sustainable poverty reduction and ecotourism...

The General Secretary and President emphasized the need to continue shifting strongly from a treatment-oriented mindset to a holistic healthcare mindset; vigorously promoting the role of traditional medicine in disease prevention, improving physical condition, rehabilitation, elderly care, chronic disease treatment, and mental health care; bringing traditional medicine truly closer to the community; and standardizing non-drug healthcare models such as acupuncture, massage, and acupressure at the commune and ward levels. The key to bringing traditional medicine closer to the people is integrating authentic traditional medical services and remedies into comprehensive national health insurance coverage. When people receive fair insurance coverage, they will proactively choose traditional medicine at the grassroots level.

Complete the development of a national database on traditional medicine.

The General Secretary and President emphasized the need to prioritize the promotion of science, technology, and digital transformation, as well as the protection of intellectual property, in order to standardize and digitize Vietnamese traditional medicine; to urgently digitize the entire treasure trove of traditional remedies and valuable indigenous knowledge of Vietnamese ethnic groups; to build and complete a national database on traditional medicine; to develop key national research programs on medicinal plants and high-value remedies; and to link research with commercialization and markets, with close coordination between research institutes, universities, hospitals, and local businesses. He also stressed the importance of building and strengthening several strong national and regional centers of traditional medicine, not only for diagnosis and treatment but also as centers for research, training, preservation, technology transfer, product development, and promotion of Vietnamese medical culture.

The General Secretary and President emphasized the need to integrate Eastern and Western medicine in the direction of evidence-based medicine, stating that the two medical systems cannot be opposed but must perfectly complement each other. - Photo: VNA

The General Secretary and President stated that the medicinal plant industry must be developed as a comprehensive economic sector, encompassing the entire chain from seeds, standardized growing areas, traceability, product processing, branding, and export markets; it is necessary to comprehensively plan key medicinal plant growing areas according to standards.

The General Secretary and President emphasized the need to integrate Eastern and Western medicine in the direction of evidence-based medicine, stating that the two medical systems cannot be opposed but must perfectly complement each other. To develop a comprehensive ecosystem of traditional medicine, high-quality human resources, and uphold medical ethics, the State plays a guiding role in creating institutions and controlling quality; encouraging and creating the most favorable conditions for private enterprises and large pharmaceutical corporations to participate in investing in research, deep processing, and developing chains of traditional medicine pharmacies; transforming private traditional medicine pharmacies and clinics run by traditional healers into effective extensions of the public health network; and implementing specific policies to discover, honor, preserve, and widely apply traditional remedies and unique treatment methods held by the people, preventing these precious legacies from fading away or being lost.

The General Secretary and President emphasized that the effectiveness of state management must be improved in the spirit of both constructive and strict management, and that lax management is unacceptable; all violations and profiteering at the expense of people's health must be resolutely and severely punished without tolerance.

To elevate traditional medicine, the human factor is crucial. It's essential to improve the quality of student recruitment and reform the training programs for traditional medicine practitioners at major medical and pharmaceutical universities. Traditional medicine practitioners must be knowledgeable in both traditional Eastern medicine theory and modern Western clinical advancements, always remembering President Ho Chi Minh's teaching: "A good doctor is like a loving mother." For traditional medicine, the most important principle is medical ethics; extreme commercialization, false advertising, and unscientific treatment must not affect public trust. This is not only a requirement for professional ethics but also the foundation for protecting the genuine value of traditional national medicine and preserving public confidence.

The development of a national brand for Vietnamese traditional medicine needs to be strengthened, linked to the health economy, healing tourism, product exports, and the soft power of Vietnamese culture. This brand must be based on three pillars: Vietnamese identity, scientific evidence of products, and services that meet international standards.

The General Secretary and President requested that the Party Committee of the Ministry of Health incorporate the feedback received to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies, advise on perfecting the institutional framework, and promptly develop and submit for promulgation the Strategy for the Development of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine until 2030, with a vision to 2045. "The general spirit in the development of traditional medicine in the coming period is not only to preserve the heritage of our ancestors but also to transform this heritage into a resource for national development and better healthcare for the people in the new era," the General Secretary and President emphasized.

According to VNA

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/dua-y-hoc-co-truyen-thuc-su-ve-voi-cong-dong-102260520190147685.htm