Nghe An Health Sector is always worthy of the trust of the Party, State and People.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors' Day (February 27, 1955 - February 27, 2025), Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Director of Nghe An Department of Health.

PV: On February 27, 1955, on the occasion of the medical staff conference, beloved Uncle Ho sent a letter to the conference. In the letter, he advised the medical sector in general and doctors in particular to be honest and united; love the sick; build the country's medical system... Over the past 70 years, how has the Nghe An medical sector implemented this teaching?

Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung:Imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings, over the past 70 years, generations of doctors in the province have united, strived to overcome many difficulties, including hardships, to successfully fulfill the task of caring for and protecting people's health.

During the war years, medical staffNghe Anhas always been at the forefront of the battlefields raining bombs and bullets for the lives of compatriots and soldiers. When peace was restored, continuing the proud tradition of previous generations, under the timely leadership and direction of the Ministry of Health and local leaders, Nghe An's health sector has continuously improved, excellently completing assigned targets and tasks.

During the period of preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic, the health sectorNghe Anhas been proactive, active, and strongly advised the province on many synchronous and effective solutions; at the same time, it has well implemented two tasks of both epidemic prevention and medical examination and treatment for people. Thanks to that, Nghe An has quickly controlled, "safely and flexibly adapted, and effectively controlled the Covid-19 epidemic", and soon restored and developed the province's socio-economy.

Looking back at the history of development, Nghe An's health sector cannot help but be proud. From only having 50 health workers, Nghe An's health sector now has more than 20,000 health workers and employees; reaching 12.9 doctors/10,000 people. From a place where people's health care was mainly based on the community, it has now developed specialized health care, applying many new techniques to serve patients. The health system from the province to the grassroots level of communes, wards, villages and hamlets has been consolidated and increasingly improved.

Specifically: By the end of 2024, the province will have 03 state management agencies, 46 health service units, 460 commune-level health stations; non-public health care has 18 general and specialized hospitals; over 700 general and specialized clinics and 3,160 pharmaceutical practice establishments. In addition, the province will have 04 health units under ministries, branches and universities.

Nghe An has completed a number of goals to build a high-tech center for the North Central region in Vinh city. Medical examination and treatment facilities in the province have deployed many specialized high-tech types 1, especially those of the central level. The quality of medical examination and treatment and patient satisfaction have been increasingly improved. The province's preventive health system has been gradually consolidated and improved. Health indicators and average life expectancy have been improved. Population work and food safety and hygiene have always been ensured. Administrative procedure reform and information technology application have been effective.

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The teachings of beloved Uncle Ho have been, are and will always be invaluable assets and the motto of action for generations of doctors. They will always be the torch that lights the way for the health sector of the whole country in general, and Nghe An health sector in particular.

Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung - Director of Nghe An Department of Health

Reporter: After the Covid-19 pandemic, Nghe An's health sector has faced many difficulties. How has Nghe An's health sector demonstrated its spirit of solidarity and overcoming difficulties during this period?

Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung:In recent times, the Nghe An health sector has faced many difficulties and obstacles. Firstly, the demand for medical examination, treatment and health care of the people is increasing and diversifying. The situation of dual disease model, population aging, climate change, environmental pollution... affects and threatens the health of the people.

Second, the system of documents still has many shortcomings and is not complete. The shortage of drugs, medical supplies, and equipment has not been thoroughly resolved, failing to meet the conditions for timely and quality medical examination and treatment for patients in some units and facilities. The implementation of bidding, procurement, and autonomy in medical examination and treatment facilities still has many difficulties. The management and administration of many units has not really innovated in the application of information technology and smart healthcare.

Third, primary health care in remote and isolated areas is still facing many difficulties and limitations, especially in terms of human resources. Even at the provincial level, human resources have not met recruitment targets. Preventive health care has not met the requirements.

In this context, the Nghe An health sector has been united, unanimous; calm, proactive in reviewing, clearly identifying, and assessing subjective and objective causes; promptly proposing and implementing solutions. The sector has advised the Party Committee and the government to issue policies and guidelines to ensure effective leadership, direction, and implementation of the task of protecting and caring for people's health; strengthened coordination between departments, branches, and sectors in performing state management tasks in the health sector; directed health units to closely follow the instructions, targets, and tasks, and ensure the implementation of resolutions, plans, and projects that have been set forth.

In this difficult situation, Nghe An health sector has received close, timely and regular attention and direction from the Ministry of Health, the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council and the Provincial People's Committee; the coordination, sharing and assistance from departments, agencies and localities; and the consensus and support of the people. Therefore, the work of taking care of people's health in the province continues to be maintained and achieves many results, making an important contribution to the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health inside and outside the province.

For example, in 2024, Nghe An's health sector overcame difficulties and achieved many important achievements: 11/12 key targets set by the sector were achieved and exceeded; 5/5 targets of the Resolution of the 19th Nghe An Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025 were achieved and exceeded; 6/6 targets assigned by the Provincial People's Council were achieved and exceeded. The sector did not allow major infectious disease outbreaks to occur in the area. The total number of medical examinations and treatments at medical examination and treatment facilities during the year was more than 7,000,000.

PV: In 2025 and the following years, Nghe An health sector sets out the dual task of "Developing Vinh city into the core of the North Central region's specialized medical center, while focusing on improving the quality of primary health care". Could you please tell us more about the goals, tasks and implementation solutions?

Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung:The tasks set for Nghe An's health sector in 2025 and the following years are enormous. Accordingly, the sector will implement Resolution No. 39-NQ/TW of the Politburo on specialized health care, while focusing on improving the quality of primary health care and health care in specific regions in the context of difficult resources and specific conditions.

In order to carry out its tasks well, the health sector has recently conducted many surveys to assess the current status of facilities, human resources and task implementation. The sector has clearly recognized that the need for people to access health care services at the grassroots level is very large. (A big difference with people in the plains and advantaged areas who often skip the grassroots level to go straight to district and provincial level health care).

Based on the assessment of actual needs, in the coming time, the health sector will continue to increase investment in infrastructure for primary health care in remote, isolated, special and difficult areas. In the context of difficulties in attracting human resources, the sector will increase human resources for health care in this area with the most fundamental solution being on-site training in the form of hands-on training. Next, it is necessary to increase the number of provincial and district doctors working at medical facilities in difficult areas in short-term periods.

To make health care and protection more effective, the health sector has directed grassroots health care facilities not to wait for people to come to them but to proactively go to villages and households to carry out their tasks; to strengthen people's health management through electronic health records so that every person, even when they are still in their mother's womb, can be monitored and cared for.

Developing specialized healthcare, currently, the health sector is developing and advising the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Government to issue the "Project to Develop Vinh City into a Specialized Healthcare Center for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2045"; developing and advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue the Project to Develop Nghe An General Hospital to become a special-class hospital. The sector also directs Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Nghe An Traditional Medicine Hospital, Nghe An Orthopedic Trauma Hospital... to focus on investment and complete criteria to become the final hospital of the region.

PV: To be able to fulfill assigned tasks well and step firmly into the new era, what support does Nghe An's health sector need?

Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung:In the coming time, the health sector will continue to comprehensively review the difficulties and shortcomings and focus on resolving the bottlenecks and difficulties it is facing; advise the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee on necessary mechanisms and policies to better serve the cause of protecting and caring for people's health. Along with that, the sector will strengthen innovation in operating mechanisms, implement autonomy in organizing human resources and health finance, and actively implement socialization of health to increase investment resources; promote administrative reform, apply information technology in medical examination and treatment, and health insurance payment.

In addition to its own efforts, the health sector really hopes that all levels, ministries, departments and branches will issue new open policies to resolve difficulties. For example, with the difficulty of lacking drugs and medical supplies, it is necessary to research and implement a form of national centralized procurement to have unity in organization and implementation. With the difficulty of human resources, it is necessary to have policies to attract and reward medical staff with high expertise and qualifications to work in remote areas and the reserve system, as well as to encourage them to stay long-term. With the difficulty of autonomy, it is necessary to amend and supplement a number of regulations in the direction of granting autonomy to units.

We hope that local Party committees, authorities and departments will continue to have priority policies and support investment in healthcare development; coordinate with the health sector to effectively implement food safety, population, family planning, management of private medical and pharmaceutical practices, and ensure security and order inside and outside healthcare facilities... This involvement will help the health sector to increasingly better perform its tasks.

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Each physician himself must be a shining example of striving to improve his/her expertise and professional ethics, considering the pain of patients as his/her own as Uncle Ho taught, "A good physician must be like a mother"... to continue to build Nghe An's health sector stronger and stronger, worthy of the trust and love of the Party, State and people.

Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung – Director of Nghe An Department of Health

PV: Thank you, comrade!