National Assembly delegates propose to review the current situation of grassroots healthcare

Most delegates highly appreciated the role of the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, ministries, branches, local authorities, mass organizations, frontline forces against the epidemic, and volunteers who have proactively and responsibly participated in the epidemic prevention and control work.

Overview of the 2nd session, 15th National Assembly.

Delegate Bo Thi Xuan Linh (Binh Thuan province) said that in recent times, Party and State leaders have paid close attention to directing the mobilization to have Covid-19 vaccines for free vaccination for the people, such as establishing a Vaccine Fund, actively implementing vaccine diplomacy, and effectively organizing the largest vaccination campaign in the history of vaccination in Vietnam. The health sector is not afraid of difficulties and dangers, always taking the lead in epidemic prevention and control, has focused all resources to drastically implement urgent measures such as developing and issuing professional guidelines to effectively carry out tracing, testing, organizing reception and treatment stratification, and has successfully treated many cases of severe illness.

The armed forces have overcome all difficulties and hardships, always being the shock force, responsible on the front line participating in epidemic prevention and control, promptly mobilizing troops and supporting Ho Chi Minh City in the fight against Covid-19. Mobilizing maximum financial resources and equipment from the state budget to call for sponsorship and support from businesses, organizations, the Government and countries for the fight against the epidemic.

However, according to the female delegate, in addition to the achieved results, the work of preventing and fighting the epidemic still revealed many limitations. Forecasts of the Covid-19 epidemic situation were sometimes not close to reality, and some places were still negligent and rigid in directing the handling of specific situations.

Delegate Linh said that Vietnam is one of the first four countries in the world to isolate the virus, but the production of test kits is still weak, not enough to supply domestically and must be imported and exported in very large quantities, making screening costly. The distribution of vaccines is also uneven, many localities in high-risk areas have a small amount of vaccine allocated. In addition, the health system also shows weaknesses, especially the health care at the grassroots level has not met the requirements when an epidemic occurs and the number of doctors is still low. On-site medical staff also does not meet the requirements.

Review the current situation of primary health care

Also referring to the grassroots health system, expressing her opinion on the Government's epidemic prevention and control report, delegate Pham Khanh Phong Lan (HCMC) acknowledged that Vietnam has relatively controlled the epidemic situation. However, according to her, besides nearly 20,000 people who died from Covid-19, there are many cases that did not receive good medical care during this period and may indirectly die from Covid-19.

According to Ms. Phong Lan, we need to review the current situation of primary health care and the primary health care system. “I myself have been a member of the National Assembly for the third term and we remember that in all the terms, there was only one target of 30% of the budget for preventive health care and primary health care, but the number of localities that have achieved this can still be counted on the fingers, not to mention that 30% is also insignificant compared to what is necessary and the needs of the people. We must have a way to allocate it to truly meet the population size, not just on the issue of geographical division,” Ms. Lan stated.

Ho Chi Minh City delegates said that the Government needs to have consistent policies and guidelines and direct the Ministry of Health to develop a viewpoint on epidemic prevention.

“The Ministry of Health has worked very hard, not only in directing and guiding localities, but also in really getting involved. Regarding grassroots health care, I think it is not just a matter of money, but also of human resources,” delegate Lan emphasized.

According to her, Vietnam's current policies are still patchy, with frequent organizational changes. For example, around 2006-2007, from district health centers, we divided them into hospitals, preventive health centers and health departments, meaning "weak but still divided". Currently, even in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the directive, all preventive health centers and district hospitals are under the Department of Health. Thus, the People's Committees of localities will have great difficulty in coordinating forces and in fact the unit in charge of local health work is the health department, while the health department only performs the function of State management.

Some grassroots cadres are still negligent and subjective in epidemic prevention.

Referring to the issue of public service implementation in epidemic prevention, delegate Mai Thi Phuong Hoa (Nam Dinh delegation) said that there are still shortcomings in many places. Typically, the Government directed the unified circulation of goods, smooth transportation, not issuing sub-licenses, not separatism, but in some localities, higher requirements were set, exceeding the necessary level, causing difficulties for people and businesses. "While the Government leaders closely directed, a number of cadres at the grassroots level were still negligent and subjective in fighting the epidemic. This may be a serious disease in some places, but during the epidemic period, it became more obvious" - delegate Hoa said.

Delegate Mai Thi Phuong Hoa (Nam Dinh delegation).

“These issues create a negative image and damage the government’s reputation. I think that with any issue, officials must set an example and comply first,” Ms. Hoa said.

According to the delegate, in any case, it is necessary to create consensus among the people. In urgent situations, for violations, it is necessary to consider administrative sanctions, even criminal sanctions; avoid handling them emotionally, regardless of legal regulations.

When making decisions or measures, we must consider the health, life, and legitimate rights and interests of the people first and foremost. When the government makes the right decisions, for the common good, and in accordance with the people's wishes, the people will always support and comply, even when it is difficult and inconvenient for their daily lives.

Delegate Mai Thi Phuong Hoa also supported the Prime Minister's view of changing the mindset and way of fighting the epidemic towards risk management, not pursuing a "no Covid" policy. Many countries in the world also identified the need to safely and sustainably adapt to Covid-19. Therefore, according to the delegate, in the immediate future, it is necessary to strictly implement Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP of the Government on "Safe, flexible adaptation, effective control of the Covid-19 epidemic". At the same time, it is necessary to urgently complete the Overall Strategy to effectively respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in the new situation. Accordingly, it is necessary to implement 6 major goals, including 1 increase, 2 decrease, 3 guarantee. Specifically: Increase the rate of vaccine coverage; Reduce the rate of Covid-19 infections; Reduce the death rate due to Covid-19; Ensure socio-economic recovery associated with the epidemic control situation; Ensure better social security; Ensure effective handling of a number of newly arising issues such as: people's mental health; food shortages among a segment of the poor; increasing homelessness in some big cities…/.