Top ten events in health sector in 2016

• Hanoi health sector works to prevent epidemics
• Mobile Police youths provide free health checkups to border people
• Swelling toys a health hazard, public warned
• Hanoi offers free cancer screening for residents with health insurance
• Health Ministry proposes new medical study standards

1-At 7:20 am on January 22, the first baby born through surrogacy was delivered by Caesarean section at the Hanoi-based Central Maternity Hospital. 

illustrative photo.

Surrogacy was official allowed in the Law on Marriage and Family adopted by the National Assembly in 2015.  As by now, nearly 200 surrogacy cases have been approved, with 30 surrogate mothers having given birth.

Only three hospitals meet the technical requirements for surrogacy. They are the Central Maternity Hospital in Hanoi, Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue-based Central Hospital.     

2-Hospitals nationwide implemented synchronous measures for better patients’ satisfaction about their services.

The measures, which included promoting friendly attitude of staff, building clean and green facilities, and improving comprehensive management, have brought about positive changes.

3-Vietnam successfully produced measles-rubella vaccine

The Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biology announced on November 8 that domestically-produced measles-rubella vaccine had been clinically tested and proven safe and effective.

The vaccine was produced under a joint project with the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). It will be available for the national expanded immunization programme as from 2017.

4-The first robotic laparoscopic surgery was successfully performed on an adult

On December 10, ten adult patients at the Binh Dan Hospital in HCM City’s District 3 received robotic surgery. The hospital also put into operation a robotic surgery facility, the second of its kind in Vietnam.

In 2013, the National Hospital of Paediatrics carried out similar surgery for children.

5-The health insurance coverage reached 81.3% of population as of November 30, exceeding the early target by 2.3%.

6- The Health Ministry moved up 9 places in the ministerial-level public administration reform (PAR) index to the 8th out of 19 ministries and ministerial-level agencies.

7-The Prime Minister approved a project on developing grassroots health facility network.

The network covers medical stations at districts, towns, villages, communes, wards and cities under provincial-level. The project focuses on boosting human resources as well as overhauling the structure, finance and operation mechanism of these facilities. The work is expected to help improve service quality and ease overcrowded conditions at central medical facilities.

8-Medical workers’ salaries were calculated in insurance-covered health services fees.

The move was in line with the roadmap for the adjustment of public service prices as regulated in Decree 16/2015/ND-CP. 

As such, the State budget previously used for paying medical workers is transferred to support people joining health insurance.

9-A common code list for health management, treatment and health insurance payment was implemented for the first time.

The list serves data connection among management agencies, medical establishments and the Vietnam Social Insurance to better manage patients’ records and facilitate insurance payment procedures.

10-Vietnam was elected to the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board for 2016 – 2019.