Two ministries join hands to build Vietnam into a medical tourism destination

(NLDO) - The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in developing medical tourism, aiming to build Vietnam into a prestigious destination.

On September 12, the Ministry of Health announced that it and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in developing medical tourism for the 2025-2030 period, aiming to build the Vietnamese brand into a prestigious destination for tourism and medical services in the region and internationally.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in developing medical tourism for the 2025-2030 period.

40,000 Vietnamese people go abroad for treatment every year.

According to the agreement, the two sides will coordinate to promote the potential, advantages and resources of the health and tourism sectors, contributing to socio- economic promotion.

Mr. Ha Anh Duc, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), said that the Ministry of Health is seeking opinions on the draft project to develop high-quality medical examination and treatment services, combining medical tourism, attracting international visitors and Vietnamese people with the ability to pay in the period 2025-2030.

The project aims to improve the quality of leading hospitals, towards meeting national and international standards; gradually attract foreigners for treatment, and reduce the number of Vietnamese people going abroad for medical treatment.

Currently, about 40,000 high-income Vietnamese people choose to receive treatment abroad each year, causing foreign currency loss and affecting the reputation of the domestic hospital system.

According to Mr. Duc, many countries such as Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia have been successful with the medical tourism model. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, although some hospitals have been renovated and upgraded, their infrastructure and utility services are still not synchronized, not meeting the needs of patients with high spending ability; some specialized departments are still overloaded.

Connecting healthcare and tourism

By 2030, the project aims to have at least 15 hospitals meeting international quality standards (JCI or equivalent), including at least 5 public hospitals. 100% of pilot facilities will have an international marketing and communications department, providing information in three or more languages.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the medical industry has gone through 70 years of formation and development, mastering many world-class techniques such as robotic surgery, organ transplants, cancer treatment, cardiovascular surgery, eye surgery, ear, nose and throat surgery. Some techniques such as endoscopic heart surgery and thyroid tumor surgery were learned from foreign countries.

The health sector is promoting investment in high-quality services and linking with travel businesses to attract international visitors.

In addition, traditional medicine with a long history, acupuncture and acupressure methods are gradually being recognized internationally. In the past 5 years, the quality of medical examination and treatment has improved significantly, hospitals have innovated their service style, aiming at patient satisfaction.

According to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, the tourism industry will encourage health care services, connect with medical facilities; the health sector will increase investment in high-quality services, and cooperate with travel businesses to attract international visitors to Vietnam for medical examination and treatment.

The two sides will coordinate to promote Vietnam's medical strengths, especially traditional medicine and high-quality medical services, and participate in domestic and international tourism promotion programs.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hai-bo-bat-tay-xay-dung-viet-nam-thanh-diem-den-du-lich-y-te-196250912130943216.htm