The arduous task of building a commune that meets national standards for healthcare.

(Baonghean) - After one year of implementing the national standard for health care in communes according to the new criteria (2011-2020 period), only 166 out of 480 communes in the province have met the standard (accounting for 34.6% compared to the plan of 45%) because the implementation process has encountered many difficulties regarding infrastructure, human resources, equipment, etc.

At the end of Phase 1 of the National Standard for Health Communes (2001-2010), 388 out of 480 communes in the province met the standards (accounting for 80.8%). This work contributed to improving the quality of primary healthcare for the people. Social policy beneficiaries, the poor, ethnic minorities in remote areas of the province, and people participating in health insurance have access to more convenient and higher-quality healthcare services; health education and communication have received attention, and people's awareness of self-protection of their health has been enhanced. Investment in commune-level healthcare has been increased from the State, provincial, district, and commune budgets; social mobilization has effectively supported the construction, upgrading, renovation, and repair of infrastructure, and the purchase of equipment…

Implementing the new national health care standards for communes, the Nghe An Health Department set a target of 45% of communes meeting the standards by 2012, 60% by 2015, and 80% by 2020. However, in 2012, after assessing the commune health care standards according to the new criteria, only 166 out of 480 communes (34.6% compared to the planned 45%) met the standards. Notably, six districts and towns had not yet established any communes that met the new national health care standards: Anh Son, Hung Nguyen, Que Phong, Con Cuong, Ky Son, and Cua Lo town (it is worth noting that Anh Son district and Cua Lo town had already achieved 100% in Phase I).



Thach Giam Commune Health Station (Tuong Duong District).

A prime example of this problem is Hung Nguyen district. In 2004, Hung Nguyen implemented a project to build communes with national health care standards and set a target of having 100% of its communes meeting these standards by 2010. However, in 2012, only 17 out of 23 communes and towns in the entire district (73.91%) met the old criteria.

Currently, only 21 out of 23 communes in the district have health stations (accounting for 91.3%). In some communes with health stations (Hung Tan, Hung Loi, Hung Lam, etc.), the stations are in a state of disrepair and have not been maintained or repaired; the functional rooms in some stations do not meet the requirements for providing basic healthcare (Hung My, Hung Thang, Hung Tan).

Many essential medical equipment and supplies at commune health stations are largely donated from foreign projects and non-governmental organizations, resulting in inconsistent use and low effectiveness. A concerning issue is the decrease in the number of doctors working in these stations, down to 13 out of 23 communes (56.5%). Furthermore, the regulation requiring at least one dedicated traditional medicine practitioner per health station (with four or more staff) has not yet been fully implemented.

Discussing this issue, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh – Director of Hung Nguyen District Health Center – stated: “With the goal of having 100% of communes in Hung Nguyen achieving the status of 'Healthcare Center' by 2020, achieving this requires stronger and more active involvement from all levels and sectors, increased propaganda efforts, and the elimination of the mindset that 'investing in healthcare is the responsibility of the health sector.' It is necessary to change the perception of Party committees, local authorities, officials, civil servants, healthcare workers, and the people regarding this field. Decisive action and concerted efforts are needed to achieve high results.”

The same situation applies to Anh Son district. Although the district achieved the goal of 100% of communes meeting the standards for quality health care by the end of Phase I, a sense of complacency has emerged. Specifically, the district has lacked attention to investing in, maintaining, and upgrading equipment, and some construction projects remain unfinished to this day. All health stations lack sufficient medical staff according to the prescribed quota; those stations that have received investment in infrastructure, have complete functional rooms, and have doctors working there lack modern equipment (typical examples include the health stations in Binh Son, Duc Son, and Cam Son communes)...

Regarding this situation, Dr. Phan The Hung – Director of the Anh Son District Health Center – emphasized: “Evaluating a commune's achievement of the National Criteria for Health is to assess the activities of protecting, caring for, and improving the health of the entire commune's population, not just the activities within the health station. Therefore, for these criteria to be of high quality and sustainable, it requires the involvement of political and social organizations, and the community to participate in and implement them.”

To gradually overcome difficulties in this work, Dr. Bui Dinh Long, Director of the Department of Health, stated: “The efforts of the health sector in the past have initially yielded encouraging results. However, in this phase, the national standard criteria have been supplemented and require higher standards, which necessitates that localities in the province continue to invest in infrastructure and human resources for commune-level health care. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen the socialization of healthcare, mobilizing resources from the people, organizations, and individuals for synchronized and rational investment. This will enable communes to achieve national standards in healthcare, effectively improve primary healthcare for the people, and make a significant contribution to the new rural development program.”

Thuy Hien (Provincial Center for Information and Health Education)