On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Vietnam Doctors' Day (February 27, 1955 - February 27, 2025), on the morning of February 24, in Hanoi, General Secretary To Lam delivered a speech when visiting and working with the Ministry of Health on the results of health work in the past time and the direction and tasks for the coming time. Ca Mau Newspaper respectfully introduces the full text of the General Secretary's speech.
General Secretary To Lam speaks. (Photo: VNA)
Dear comrades in the Central Working Group,
Dear leaders of the Ministry of Health ,
Dear doctors, professors, physicians, staff, medical staff and delegates attending the meeting.
70 years ago, on February 27, 1955, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to the health sector with extremely profound advice. He told health workers to be imbued with the saying "A good doctor must be like a mother" and asked the Government to "Build a health system suitable to the needs of our people", "must be based on the principles of science, ethnicity and the masses"... Since then, February 27 has become Vietnam Doctors' Day. Uncle Ho's teachings have become a guiding principle for leaders, for generations of doctors and have been the consistent motto of the entire health sector over the past seven decades.
Over the past 70 years of construction, labor, dedication and growth, the Vietnamese health sector has made great strides in both quantity and quality, meeting the increasingly high demand for health care and medical examination and treatment for the people. Vietnam has been highly appreciated by the international community for its implementation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in the health sector, with many indicators of the health system and public health surpassing many countries at the same level of development. Our country's health system has been constantly consolidated and expanded from the central to local levels; from urban areas to mountainous areas, islands, difficult and remote areas. The professional qualifications, research capacity and practical ability of the medical staff are increasingly improved alongside increasingly modern and advanced machinery, medical equipment and medicines. Our current medical capacity not only meets the health care needs of the people but also makes an important contribution to the development of world medicine. The Vietnamese medical sector is increasingly asserting its role in joining hands to solve global medical challenges.
The great contributions of the health sector to the cause of taking care of people's health and the development of the country have been recognized by the Party and the State with noble awards. Thousands of doctors have been honored with the titles of Labor Hero, People's Armed Forces Hero, National Emulation Fighter, People's Physician, People's Teacher, Meritorious Physician, Meritorious Teacher... Along with these noble titles, the most important thing is the trust and gratitude of the people towards the team of doctors, who have not been afraid of difficulties and hardships, dedicating themselves to the cause of taking care of community health. It is not by chance that society reserves the words "Teacher" and "Mother" for those who have devoted themselves to the medical profession.
Dear comrades,
Looking back at the history of Vietnamese medicine, we can affirm that traditional medicine is closely linked to the process of building and defending the country. Since the Hung King period, Vietnamese people have used herbs, acupuncture and folk methods to treat diseases. During the Ly-Tran period, the Imperial Medical Institute was established to treat diseases and conduct medical research. The famous physician Tue Tinh (14th century) laid the foundation for traditional medicine with the philosophy of "Nam Duoc Tri Nam Nhan", Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac (18th century) was famous for "Linh Nam Ban Thao" and "Y Tong Tam Linh". In modern times, we have the Pasteur Institute in Saigon (1891), Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang (1895), Cho Ray Hospital (1900), Protective Hospital - Viet Duc Hospital (1904), Bach Mai Hospital (1911)...
The modern Vietnamese medical sector was formed and developed strongly during the difficult years of the country. When the resistance war against French colonialism and then the resistance war against the US entered a difficult stage, the medical team became soldiers on the front line to treat wounded soldiers, sick soldiers and victims of war. In the context of all kinds of shortages, doctors, nurses and caregivers set up field hospitals in the middle of deep forests, in caves, in shelters and in the most fierce places. Many examples of wartime doctors and nurses have become symbols of courage, indomitable spirit and Vietnamese intelligence. Doctor Dang Van Ngu, who sacrificed his life on the way to the battlefield to research anti-malaria drugs for the army. Professor, Doctor Ton That Tung with his famous liver surgery method saved the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers. Martyr, Doctor Dang Thuy Tram has become a symbol and pride of a generation of soldiers in an unforgettable historical period of the nation. Images of doctors and nurses carrying wounded soldiers through bombs and bullets, performing surgery in conditions lacking medical equipment, or military medics willing to sacrifice themselves to protect patients have been engraved in the minds of many generations.
Despite the fierce war, many medical facilities and hospitals became targets of destruction, the health sector still maintained the work of taking care of people's health, preventing epidemics and ensuring the health of soldiers, contributing significantly to the victory of the resistance war for independence.
After the country was completely reunified in 1975, the Vietnamese health sector entered a new phase with enormous challenges. However, with the determination of the Party and State and the continuous efforts of the health sector, Vietnam has gradually built a comprehensive health system, focusing on the people, ensuring the right to health care for all people.
Entering the Renovation period, the health sector also made important changes to improve service quality and ensure equity in health care. One of the biggest reforms was the establishment of the health insurance system in 1992, marking an important step forward in reducing the burden of medical examination and treatment costs for the people. From a voluntary health insurance model, to date, the rate of health insurance participants has reached over 94% of the population, contributing to ensuring that everyone has the right to access health services at reasonable costs.
In addition, the policy of socializing healthcare is also promoted, allowing private hospitals to develop in parallel with the public hospital system, creating a healthy competitive environment and improving the quality of medical examination and treatment services. Private and international hospitals are appearing more and more, contributing to reducing the burden on public healthcare facilities, especially in large cities.
In recent decades, the Vietnamese medical sector has made breakthroughs in improving the quality of treatment, applying high technology and developing modern medicine. Central hospitals such as Viet Duc Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Cho Ray Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, Hospital 108... have mastered many advanced medical techniques. Our doctors have successfully performed complex organ transplants such as kidney transplants, liver transplants, heart transplants, lung transplants... helping to save the lives of many patients with serious illnesses. Robotic surgery is deployed in the fields of surgery, urology, neurology, oncology, helping to improve the accuracy of treatment. Stem cell technology is applied to effectively treat many blood diseases, spinal cord injuries, cirrhosis, and cancer.
The health sector has also achieved many important achievements in increasing life expectancy and improving the quality of life for the people. The average life expectancy of Vietnamese people has been constantly improved, increasing from about 38 years old in 1945, to 60 years old (period 1975-1980) and to the current average of 74.5 years old.
Along with the development of the health system, training and improving the quality of medical human resources have been focused on, helping Vietnam have a team of doctors and medical experts of international standards. Leading medical universities such as Hanoi Medical University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, etc. are constantly innovating their training programs, enhancing clinical practice, and accessing advanced medical advances. Vietnamese doctors today have professional qualifications on par with the world, and can perform advanced medical techniques that are not inferior to those of developed countries. Many Vietnamese doctors have published valuable research works that are highly appreciated by the world medical community.
However, in addition to the achievements, the Vietnamese healthcare sector is also facing many major challenges, requiring strong innovation to ensure the goal of universal healthcare in the new situation. These challenges come not only from internal factors of the sector but also from economic, social and technological factors.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of implementing Uncle Ho's teachings, we reported to Uncle Ho the results of implementing these teachings. However, we are still struggling with what has not been done, especially with Uncle Ho's wish to "build a healthcare system suitable to the needs of our people" and "must be based on the principles of science, ethnicity and mass".
One of the biggest challenges of the health sector is to carry out the task of taking care of people's health, community health, creating a high-quality human resource for society, creating a healthy and happy life for all people. Everyone is provided with health care to achieve the desire to prolong life and have a healthy life, a clean society, without epidemics, without danger. This is the goal of the Party, the regime, and also the desire of the people. Strive for the average life expectancy of people to be 80 years old, 90 years old and 100 years old.
The health sector is not only about medical examination and treatment but also about disease prevention. The health sector has preventive medicine work but has not met expectations. Through the prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic and some other recent epidemics, the health sector has revealed limitations and weaknesses in disease prevention work, especially in preventive medicine. It is necessary to focus on evaluation to draw lessons in direction and professional work. Along with that, the prevention of common diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, endocrine, liver, lung...) is also facing many difficulties that need to be overcome soon.
In addition, the protection of the living environment, regular health training, health care for the vulnerable (the elderly, children, women, the disabled, the poor, orphans, the homeless, etc.) have not been taken seriously. Food control, food hygiene, nutritional regimen to prevent risks, etc.; regular health check-ups for the people have not been taken seriously. Diseases must be treated before they become chronic. Disease prevention propaganda among the people, community health education for people to prevent diseases themselves, and improve their ability to strengthen their own resistance are still limited.
Second: The issue of medical ethics in the industry is a requirement that needs to be addressed. Comrades are proud of the tradition of medical examination and treatment of the nation, famous doctors practicing with national ethics and morality, especially we have Uncle Ho's advice "A good doctor is like a mother". However, somewhere there are still doctors, people in the medical industry who are dishonest in their practice, even have poor professional ethics, lack responsibility towards patients, discriminate in medical examination and treatment, lack responsibility, are indifferent to the pain of patients, are selfish, put material interests above the responsibility of doctors. Are there still doctors without real degrees, chasing achievements, stealing topics, research works of colleagues, only caring about personal interests... and most dangerously, forgetting to follow Uncle Ho's advice for medical staff.
Third: Our grassroots health system still has many limitations and shortcomings. Investment in grassroots health care has not met actual needs; many commune health stations and district health centers have not been fully equipped with modern facilities and equipment; shortages of drugs and medical supplies still occur, especially in rural and mountainous areas. The grassroots health system is always lacking doctors and human resources. Some difficult areas still face obstacles in implementing expanded vaccination due to complex terrain and limited medical staff. The weak grassroots health system leads to overload in public and upper-level hospitals. This greatly affects the quality of medical examination and treatment.
Fourth: Regarding resources, although we have a developed medical training system, the health sector still faces a shortage of human resources and specialized specialties, especially in remote areas. The income of medical staff, especially in public hospitals, is still low compared to the workload and level of risk. This causes many good doctors and nurses to move to the private sector or work abroad. Remote, isolated and island areas have difficulty attracting and retaining medical staff. There is a large gap in professional capacity between levels. Decades ago, we clearly identified: "Medicine is a special profession, requiring special selection, training, use and treatment." However, looking back to now, we have only had special selection and training, but have not had special use and treatment.
Fifth: Recently, many public hospitals have encountered difficulties in bidding for the purchase of drugs, equipment and medical supplies. The main reason is that the bidding mechanism still has many shortcomings, causing some essential drugs to not win the bid due to low prices or suppliers not participating. The shortage of drugs, especially rare and new drugs, causes patients to not be able to benefit or have to wait or buy them themselves at higher prices, through "hand-carried goods" or personal orders. In some hospitals, degraded facilities have not received timely investment, seriously affecting the working environment of doctors and medical staff and the conditions for examination and treatment of patients. Many advanced and modern medical equipment do not appear in public hospitals because they are controlled by bidding regulations or some other administrative regulations.
The application of technology and digitalization of healthcare is still slow. Although the world's healthcare is rapidly shifting to smart healthcare and digitalizing medical records, in Vietnam, digital transformation in healthcare still faces many barriers. Electronic medical records and telemedicine have not been widely deployed, and many hospitals still use manual paperwork. We also lack technological infrastructure to synchronize health data nationwide; there are no strong incentive policies for medical technology startups, and the application of technological achievements in medical examination and treatment is still limited.
Among the above challenges, there are issues that have existed for a long time, and we have proposed solutions in the Party's directive documents; the National Assembly and the Government have also taken specific steps to implement them. However, the level of effectiveness is still limited, and some solutions need time to develop. Meanwhile, new issues and challenges continue to appear. To address the challenges facing the health sector now and in the coming years, in addition to continuing to effectively implement the Party's resolutions on the health sector, I would like to emphasize the following twelve contents:
Firstly, it is necessary to change the way of thinking about the medical field. Healthcare is not only about examining and treating patients, but more importantly, it is about taking care of people's health to limit diseases; it is necessary to focus on researching disease prevention measures, improving health, prolonging life; strengthening capacity for reproductive health, pediatrics and geriatrics; strengthening community health; increasing the number of people visiting medical facilities for annual or semi-annual health check-ups.
Focus on removing difficulties, barriers, and bottlenecks so that the health sector can rise up, so that we can have "a health system suitable to the needs of our people" as Uncle Ho wished for 70 years ago.
Second, improve medical ethics among medical staff, strictly implement Uncle Ho's teachings for medical staff, each physician, doctor, medical staff, and worker in addition to doing their job well, needs to raise awareness of respecting and protecting the lives and health of patients; treat patients fairly, without discrimination of "personal status"; respect the rights and dignity of patients; be honest and objective in performing their work; always study to improve knowledge and professional qualifications; demonstrate responsibility to the community and society, to truly be a "Kind Mother" in the eyes of patients and their families.
Third, strengthen and improve the quality of the grassroots health system. Upgrade equipment and infrastructure for district health centers and commune health stations; ensure that grassroots health has enough qualified doctors and medical staff, especially in remote areas; continuously improve the quality of health services to attract people to seek medical treatment locally instead of rushing to higher-level hospitals. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of vaccination and preventive health programs, expand the coverage of the expanded immunization program, and ensure that all children are fully vaccinated. In addition to the task of examining and treating people, it is necessary to improve disease prevention measures and primary health care measures to limit diseases.
Reduce the overload at upper-level hospitals and develop a satellite hospital system. It is necessary to increase training and technology transfer from central hospitals to provincial and district hospitals; invest in developing specialized medical centers in localities to reduce pressure on large hospitals. At the same time, increase the application of technology in medical examination and treatment, helping patients in remote areas access specialists without having to travel far; build an online health consultation system to support initial diagnosis. At the same time, it is necessary to expand forms of public-private partnership and expand the space for the private sector to participate in investing in the construction of medical facilities, hospitals, nursing centers, etc., and encourage the development of hospitals and medical services outside the state sector.
Fourth, improve policies on treatment and training of high-quality medical personnel. The Ministry of Health should soon have specific proposals to improve salaries and allowances for doctors and nurses, especially in disadvantaged areas; provide financial support for medical students who commit to working at grassroots health facilities after graduation. At the same time, it is necessary to focus on promoting scientific research and international cooperation; cooperate with international medical organizations to train doctors, receive advanced technology transfer; create conditions for doctors to participate in scientific conferences, exchange experiences with foreign experts to continuously improve their qualifications and experience.
Fifth, reform health financing and ensure the sustainability of health insurance funds. It is necessary to improve health insurance policies to support the disadvantaged, ensure that vulnerable groups such as the poor, the disabled, and children have comprehensive health insurance; at the same time, improve the health insurance payment portfolio to reduce the financial burden for patients with serious illnesses.
Sixth, perfecting the medical law. Building a comprehensive strategy for human health care and public health (perfecting the law on disease prevention, the law on medical examination and treatment, the law on infectious disease prevention, the law on medicine, the law on traditional medicine, the law on population, the law on food safety, the law on physical education and sports...). The health sector needs to soon perfect regulations on the management of medical services and health care; disease prevention and public health; management of drugs, biological products and medical equipment; health insurance and social security; rights and obligations of patients and medical staff...
Seventh, it is necessary to promptly overcome shortcomings in bidding for the procurement of drugs and medical equipment. This is not only a problem of the health sector but also of the political system. We need to ask ourselves why this situation does not exist in private hospitals? This is also an institutional “bottleneck” that we need to overcome soon, so as not to affect the operation of the health sector and the quality of health care for the people. If we let this situation continue, we will be at fault with the people. The general policy is that wherever there is a problem, we must immediately fix it; if the law needs to be amended, we must amend the law; if a special mechanism is really needed, there must be a special mechanism to ensure that drugs and supplies are adequately supplied, of good quality, and at reasonable prices.
Eighth, develop traditional medicine combined with modern medicine. Traditional medicine plays an important role in health care, especially in the treatment of chronic diseases and rehabilitation. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the role of traditional medicine in the health system; combine traditional medicine with modern medicine in diagnosis and treatment; promote research on folk remedies, improve the scientific nature of traditional medicine; invest in oriental medicine research centers, develop effective herbal treatment methods; support the training of traditional medicine doctors, expand the model of combining Eastern and Western medicine. Next to us is a country with strengths, arguably leading the world and very close to Vietnamese traditional medicine, which is "Chinese medicine", "Northern medicine", but cooperation between the two sides is still limited.
Ninth, increase the application of digital technology in medical management and treatment. It is necessary to promote digital transformation in medical management; deploy electronic medical records, synchronize health data between hospitals and medical facilities. It is necessary to increase the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in disease diagnosis, treatment and analysis of disease trends, and at the same time invest in developing software to support doctors in making treatment decisions, increasing the accuracy in disease diagnosis. It is necessary to increase the application of AI in smart diagnosis; organ transplantation; development of stem cell technology; gene therapy techniques; robotic surgery; 3D printing technology to personalize medical equipment for personalized medicine...
Tenth, improve public health work, promote disease prevention among the people, and develop the physical training movement. It is necessary to encourage people to improve their physical fitness and practice sports; improve the quality of physical education in schools; build community sports infrastructure, and encourage people to participate in physical activities. It is necessary to improve propaganda work, encourage regular health check-ups, early detection of diseases; encourage healthy lifestyles, and prevent diseases. Each person also needs to be responsible for raising awareness of health protection, proactively practicing physical exercise, and practicing healthy lifestyles.
Eleventh, international cooperation in disease prevention: In today's "flat world", international cooperation to strengthen the capacity to control and respond to epidemics and in disease treatment is an important part of the global health strategy. It focuses on sharing information on epidemiological data (epidemic situation, origin, development, response measures, coordination of monitoring, early warning, etc.); cooperation in scientific research and development of the medical industry; financial and technical support, cooperation in the production and distribution of drugs and vaccines; building common policies and legal frameworks, strengthening regional and international emergency response capacity, focusing on cooperation with countries in the region and medical powers in the immediate future.
Twelve, the work of sanitation of the living environment, a healthy spirit, no pessimism, negative, no use of stimulants, addictive ... In addition to striving for all families, residential areas, the community are "bright-dull-clean", the health sector really needs programs to contribute to other functional units to educate the community on hygiene and hygiene of residence and workplace; waste treatment, ensuring water sources, air sources without pollution; Food hygiene and hygienic eating; Control insects and animals; Improve personal and community hygiene conditions ...
Dear comrades and delegates,
Protecting, caring and improving the health of the people is not only the duty of the health sector but also the responsibility of every citizen, of both the political system and the whole society. In order to achieve the goal of building a modern, fair and effective health, it is necessary to have the active participation of the Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, mass organizations and sectors, in which the health sector plays a core role. It is necessary to mobilize the overall resources, from perfecting policies, improving the grassroots health system, attracting and treating health human resources, to the application of digital technology and promoting preventive medicine.
With the determination of the whole Party and the whole people, along with the continuous efforts of the health sector, we believe that Vietnam's health sector will continue to develop strongly, contributing to improving the quality of life of the people and bringing the country into a prosperous and developing era. Human health is the most precious thing; Having health will have everything, health is the most desired. Everything wishes each other first is good health ... and the health sector is very honored to be assigned the responsibility of being the task force in the task of people's health care. Once again, I would like to send the best wishes to all professors, physicians, doctors, medical staff across the country. Wishing you always healthy and stable, continue to promote the spirit of "physician like the sample", contributing more to the cause of protecting and taking care of the people's health.
Thank you very much!
Source: nhandan.vn
Source: https://baocamau.vn/phat-bieu-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tai-buoi-lam-viec-voi-bo-y-to -nhan-ngay-thay -Thuoc-viet-nam-a37419.html
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