Lao Cai promotes health care for ethnic minorities

Effectively implementing the contents of the National Target Program, especially in health care for ethnic minorities in mountainous areas, Lao Cai province has deployed many social security projects and organized extensive propaganda among the people.

Health insurance card - "Lifesaver" for millions of people

Over the past years, the health sector of Lao Cai province has gradually improved its organizational structure, consolidated and improved its facilities and equipment, especially human resources, to provide people with increasingly better service quality.

Lao Cai people receive health care from the grassroots level.

With the characteristics of a mountainous, border province, complex terrain, erratic weather, the lives of a part of the highland people are still difficult, awareness is still limited, so the awareness of self-health care is not high. Therefore, the work of medical examination and treatment by health insurance (HI) for the poor, the elderly, and children is always focused.

On average, each year, medical units in the province provide medical examination and treatment for over 2 million people, of which over 80% are covered by health insurance, especially for the poor, ethnic minorities and children under 6 years old. The hospital bed occupancy rate regularly meets and exceeds the assigned plan; the health insurance coverage rate in 2024 reaches 95% (compared to 94.1% nationwide).

By the end of April 2025, in Yen Bai province (formerly, now part of Lao Cai), there were over 733,000 people maintaining health insurance cards. In Lao Cai (formerly), this number was nearly 682,000 people, reaching a coverage rate of 86.06% of the population. Notably, more than 1.4 million health insurance cards have been issued; nearly 100% of participant data has been synchronized with the National Population Database. This is an important step forward, laying the foundation for a transparent and effective management system, ready for the digitalization process.

Ms. Phung Nay Phau, 50 years old, Dao ethnic, living in Sa Pa commune shared: "Having a health insurance card, when you are sick, you don't have to worry about medicine and medical examination costs. If you don't have health insurance, you don't know how to manage." She added: "Thanks to the State's support, I was able to buy health insurance. When I get sick, I don't have to pay for medical examination, I feel much relieved."

The above results have a great contribution from the propaganda work to raise awareness of Social Insurance (SI) staff. According to the report, in April 2025, there were 40 radio broadcasts in ethnic languages ​​​​out of a total of more than 2,300 radio broadcasts at the grassroots level. Along with that, there were a series of news articles on loudspeakers and television - as "bridges" connecting policies with life.

Cyberspace has also become a vibrant propaganda front with more than 230 media products (articles, videos, infographics) posted on the Electronic Information Portal, Fanpage, Zalo, Youtube..., attracting nearly 1,200 shares from personal accounts of officials and civil servants - each person is an active "propagandist".

In particular, all forms of propaganda aim to ensure information reaches the majority of people, especially ethnic minorities, people in remote areas or those who have just escaped poverty - the subjects that need to be mobilized to continue participating in voluntary social insurance and family health insurance.

Parade to propagate and mobilize people to participate in voluntary social insurance and family health insurance in Lao Cai.

Digital transformation and local healthcare

In line with the development trend, Lao Cai's health sector pays special attention to medical examination and treatment for local ethnic minorities and promotes digital transformation. Currently, hospitals in the area have deployed basic software such as: Hospital Information Management Software (HIS), Image Management and Archiving System (RIS-PACS), Electronic Medical Records (EMR), ensuring data interconnection between software systems. 100% of health stations have deployed medical examination and treatment management using software and gradually applied the software to grassroots health programs.

The rate of people with electronic health management reached 96.5% (compared to the national rate of over 90%); The rate of people using citizen identification cards when going to health insurance examination and treatment reached 81.91%.

In terms of prevention, the disease surveillance and vaccination system has been widely deployed from the provincial level to all health stations with 732 vaccination points. Propaganda work to raise awareness, change health care behaviors, protect and improve community health in rural, border, remote and isolated areas is also regularly maintained.

Despite many difficulties and challenges, with the leadership of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee, together with the participation of all levels, sectors, and the consensus of the people, the health sector and Lao Cai Provincial Health Insurance will continue to unite, promote medical ethics, and strive to build a modern, scientific, and humane health system, serving the people's health care needs better and better - as taught by beloved Uncle Ho.

suckhoedoisong.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/lao-cai-day-manh-cham-soc-suc-khoe-cho-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-post881038.html