Lao Cai improves the quality of grassroots healthcare.

Healthcare for the people in the mountainous, border province of Lao Cai is receiving increased attention, aiming to shift the focus from "treating diseases" to "preventing diseases." Using preventive medicine and primary healthcare as a foundation, people have access to quality healthcare services and comprehensive health management right at the commune-level health stations.

Eye examinations for the elderly in Yen Bai ward.

Currently, Lao Cai has 2,166 doctors, reaching 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people. The healthcare system is streamlined and efficient; the network of medical examination and treatment from the provincial level to the grassroots continues to be strengthened.

According to the Director of the Department of Health, Hoang Quoc Huong: The province has 32 public health service units, 99 commune health stations, and hundreds of private health facilities. Infrastructure and equipment have received significant investment, and many modern techniques have been implemented, thereby improving the quality of medical examination and treatment.

Disease prevention and control efforts have been effective, the quality of healthcare services has improved, and the satisfaction rate of the people has reached over 90%. Despite the transition to a new model, professional activities have remained stable. Healthcare facilities ensure 24/7 emergency services, maintain medical examinations and treatment, disease prevention and control, vaccinations, and other essential health programs.

The rate of cashless payments at medical facilities reached 51.6% of transactions and 82.4% of payment value; receiving, examining, and treating patients using chip-embedded citizen ID cards and VNeID reached 90.3%.

Data interoperability has been implemented synchronously, with 100% of facilities integrating driver's license health certificates, birth certificates, and death certificates. 100% of hospitals have deployed examination and treatment kiosks, improving service quality and reforming administrative procedures in the healthcare sector.

General Hospital No. 1, the province's leading unit in stroke and cardiovascular emergency care, has been invested in with modern cardiovascular techniques such as coronary stent placement, pacemaker implantation, Doppler echocardiography; brain endoscopy, and spinal cord tumor microsurgery have been implemented.

On February 26th, a 23-year-old man involved in a traffic accident on the Noi Bai- Lao Cai highway received first aid at the Van Yen Medical Center and was then transferred to the No. 1 General Hospital of Lao Cai province. The patient was admitted in critical condition, with pale skin, a rapid, weak pulse, unmeasurable blood pressure, and a risk of circulatory arrest...

Following a quick consultation, the hospital activated a red alert protocol, performing surgery while simultaneously providing intensive care. Trauma specialists opened the chest and managed the injuries, while maxillofacial and ENT specialists continued to treat the patient's maxillofacial injuries.

The surgery lasted nearly 4 hours, with 29 units of blood and blood products transfused during and after the operation. After the surgery, the patient received intensive care, vital signs were adjusted to safe levels, and the patient was transferred to a central hospital for further specialized treatment.

Dr. Tran Lan Anh, Director of General Hospital No. 1, said: In 2017, the hospital signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Bach Mai Hospital, and also serves as a "satellite" for hospitals such as K Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Pediatrics Hospital, and Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital... Over the past time, hundreds of doctors and medical staff have received training and retraining, improving the quality of medical examination and treatment. Currently, the referral rate has decreased to 1.8%. The hospital is constantly standardizing procedures and developing specialized techniques to be ready to receive and successfully treat difficult and severe cases.

Despite the positive results achieved, the health sector in Lao Cai still faces many difficulties in terms of infrastructure and human resources that need to be addressed to improve service quality. Many medical facilities have limited infrastructure; some buildings are dilapidated and small in scale, such as the Mu Cang Chai Regional Health Center and the Luc Yen Regional Health Center...

Medical equipment is lacking, with many machines being old, unstable, and not meeting modernization requirements. Several basic infrastructure investment projects in the healthcare sector are behind schedule; to date, four regional general hospitals (Bao Yen, Van Ban, Bac Ha, and Si Ma Cai) remain unfinished despite multiple extensions, impacting investment in equipment and the implementation of digital transformation in these hospitals. The Bat Xat Regional Health Center has been completed but lacks the funds to relocate to its new facility.

According to Hoang Quoc Huong, Director of the Department of Health, to overcome difficulties and improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, in the second quarter of 2026, the Lao Cai health sector will sign a cooperation agreement with the People's Committees of communes to improve the effectiveness of primary healthcare. Regarding treatment, provincial-level hospitals must complete the electronic medical record system, and this will be completed by the end of December 2026 for regional hospitals.

Lao Cai province has set the goal of building a comprehensive healthcare system that is equitable, high-quality, efficient, and sustainable. By 2030, the province aims to achieve an average life expectancy of 75.5 years, 15.5 doctors per 10,000 people, 100% of the population receiving health management services, and a satisfaction rate of over 95% among the population with healthcare services, realizing Lao Cai's development philosophy towards "Green, harmonious, distinctive, and happy."

THANH SON

Source: https://nhandan.vn/lao-cai-nang-cao-chat-luong-y-te-co-so-post961006.html