General Secretary: 'All are important, complicated and sensitive issues'

All are important, complex and sensitive issues, having a direct impact on people's lives and on a large number of cadres, civil servants and public employees.

On the morning of October 4, the 6th Conference of the 12th Party Central Committee solemnly opened in the capital Hanoi.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivered the opening speech at the Conference. The General Secretary stated that the content of the program of this Central Conference covers many broad issues, both fundamental and urgent, related to annual economic and social development, social innovation, political innovation, in sync with economic innovation in the spirit of the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress. All are important, complex and sensitive issues, directly affecting the lives of the people, the majority of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers nationwide, and receiving special attention and expectations from society.

Opening of the 6th Central Conference

At this Conference, the Central Executive Committee will discuss and give opinions on: The socio-economic and financial-budgetary situation in 2017, the planned socio-economic development plan and the budget estimate for 2018; strengthening the work of protecting, caring for, and improving people's health and population work in the new situation; continuing to innovate the organizational and management system, improving the quality and efficiency of public service units; a number of issues on continuing to innovate and reorganize the apparatus of the political system to be streamlined, effective and efficient; and carrying out a number of other important tasks.

In his opening speech, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong reminded the Central Executive Committee members of several aspects related to the contents and tasks of this Conference.

Regarding the socio-economic and financial-budget situation in 2017, the socio-economic development plan and the financial-budget estimate for 2018, the General Secretary requested the Central Committee members to carefully study the Submission and Report of the Government Party Committee and, based on the actual situation at home and abroad as well as the sectors, fields and working areas, to discuss, analyze and objectively and comprehensively evaluate the situation in the first 9 months of the year, and forecast for the rest of the year. Point out the outstanding results and achievements that have been achieved, the remaining limitations and weaknesses, especially the newly emerging positive factors and the newly emerging outstanding issues.

“Pay attention to comparing with the goals and tasks set out in the Resolution of the 12th National Congress and the Central Committee's resolutions on rapid and sustainable socio-economic development; implementing three strategic breakthroughs; innovating the growth model, restructuring the economy; perfecting the socialist-oriented market economic institution; innovating and improving the efficiency of state-owned enterprises; developing the private economy to truly become an important driving force of the economy...

In particular, it is necessary to clarify the reasons why some tasks have not been completed, some targets have been low or not achieved in the first 6 months of the year compared to the same period last year, and growth quality has been slowly improved despite the domestic and international situation in 2017 being generally more favorable than in 2016. Clearly identify the most important basic goals and targets for 2018; propose highly feasible policies and measures, especially breakthrough policies and measures to innovate the growth model, restructure the economy, restructure the state budget, control public debt; restructure the system of credit institutions associated with bad debt handling.

“Promote restructuring of public investment, state-owned enterprises, and public service units. Improve growth quality, improve the investment and business environment to mobilize and use resources more effectively, ensuring rapid and sustainable development in terms of economy, society, and environment,” the General Secretary suggested.

Regarding the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health, the General Secretary stated that our Party and State always identify health as the most valuable asset of each person and of the whole society; caring for, protecting and improving people's health is a particularly important task related to everyone, every family and the whole society, with profound political, social and humanistic significance, demonstrating the superior and good nature of our regime.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivers the opening speech at the 6th Central Conference (Photo: VNA)

Under the leadership of the Central Committee, the entire Party, people and army, especially the team of doctors and health workers nationwide, have strived to implement many policies and measures to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health, achieving many important results. Our country is assessed by the World Health Organization as a bright spot in implementing the Millennium Development Goals in the field of health care protection. However, facing new requirements in the new development stage of the country, the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health has also revealed many weaknesses and shortcomings, leading to a number of incidents and incidents that have caused social outrage.

“In terms of opportunities and advantages, are they the results and achievements in this field as well as the historical achievements of 30 years of innovation; the remarkable development of medical science and technology under the impact of the 4th industrial revolution and globalization and international integration?... In terms of difficulties and challenges, is it necessary to mention the limitations and weaknesses in the medical field and related fields; rapid changes in living conditions, lifestyles, living and working environments, and epidemics; limited state resources while mobilizing social resources still faces many difficulties?...

Regarding lessons learned, is it necessary to emphasize and affirm the leadership role of the Party, the management of the State, the active participation of the entire political system and the entire population; the leading role of hospitals and public health facilities; the significance and importance of properly applying the market mechanism to mobilize, allocate and effectively use all resources for protecting, caring for and improving people's health in conjunction with ensuring the socialist orientation and superiority of our regime, as we have developed a grassroots health system, managed and cared for people's health in each commune, ward, agency and unit during the years when the country was much more difficult than it is now.

Regarding viewpoints and orientations, is it necessary to emphasize better combination between disease prevention and treatment; between care and protection; between Eastern and Western medicine; between grassroots health care and health care at higher levels; between state budget investment and increased autonomy and socialization; between universal health care and training of good, leading doctors and experts...," the General Secretary stated.

Regarding population work in the new situation, the General Secretary said that this is a very big and difficult issue, of special importance, related to the protection and development of the race, nation and people. Over the past 25 years, the whole country has persistently and resolutely implemented the population policy and family planning, each couple has only 2 children according to the spirit of the Resolution of the 4th Central Committee, Session 7. Besides the results and achievements, there are still many limitations and weaknesses, giving rise to new problems that need to be promptly addressed. For example, the birth rate between regions still has a significant difference. The gender imbalance at birth is increasing rapidly, has reached a serious level and is increasingly widespread. Our country is entering the period of "population aging", facing the risk of "not being rich but already old", missing the opportunity of the "golden population period"...

“In the coming time, should our country shift its focus from population policy and family planning to population and development? What are the specific connotations of those concepts? What is their practical significance? Focus on analyzing the bases and the necessity and correctness of shifting the focus from reducing population growth through the thorough and uniform implementation of the policy of each couple having only two children to controlling the size and improving the quality of the population through the policy of maintaining the replacement level of fertility.

Pay attention to the feasibility and suitability of the selected objectives and the proposed policies and measures. In particular, the selected options on population size and policies to ensure comprehensive and synchronous solutions to population issues such as: Maintaining the replacement fertility rate; bringing the sex ratio at birth to a natural balance; making the best use of the golden population structure; adapting to population aging; managing migration well, especially spontaneous migration; improving population quality," the General Secretary raised the issue.

Regarding some issues on continuing to innovate and reorganize the apparatus of the political system to be streamlined and operate effectively and efficiently, the General Secretary pointed out that, up to now, the apparatus of the political system is still cumbersome, multi-layered, ineffective and ineffective; the functions and tasks of some organizations are still overlapping; the internal structure is not reasonable; the apparatus of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and other organizations and public service units is slow to be innovated, the staffing is increasingly bloated, the number of deputies and the number of people enjoying the "rank" regime is unreasonable; the structure and quality of the staff, civil servants and public employees still have many shortcomings; the number of indirect service workers is too large while there is a lack of direct professional human resources. The number of people receiving salaries and allowances from the state budget in public service units and non-professional activities at the commune level is increasing.

“Is it necessary to pay special attention to ensuring innovation, comprehensiveness, system, synchronization, and connectivity; harmoniously combining inheritance and stability with innovation and development; not rushing from one extreme to the other; linking innovation in organizational apparatus with innovation in leadership methods, with streamlining payroll and salary reform; harmoniously handling the relationship between the state, the market, and society.

The tasks and solutions proposed must be appropriate, feasible, have a roadmap, and steady steps, meeting both immediate and long-term requirements, contributing to solving practical problems facing the organization and apparatus of the entire political system as well as specific organizations of the Party, the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, especially the organization and apparatus within each agency and unit. Should we resolutely do immediately those tasks that are clear and ripe; and actively research those tasks that are not clear enough, too complicated, and have many different opinions, boldly conduct a pilot, then summarize and gradually expand?...”, the General Secretary raised the issue.

Regarding the issue of "Continuing to innovate the organization and management system, improving the quality and efficiency of public service units' operations", the General Secretary said that the innovation of the organization and operation of public service units has achieved important initial results.

However, there are still many shortcomings, weaknesses, causing social outrage and many difficulties and challenges to overcome, especially in reorganizing and innovating mechanisms and policies to better promote the intelligence and dedication of a large number of intellectuals, experts, scientists and high-quality technical workers, improve the quality of public services, meet the increasing needs of the people, and at the same time solve the problems of organization, staffing, and reform of the salary regime of the entire political system.

“Pay attention to deeply analyzing the meaning and importance of continuing to promote innovation in public service units as well as innovation in state-owned enterprises, which needs to be carried out synchronously, drastically but cautiously, firmly and placed in the overall continued innovation of the political system's apparatus; the need to promote the socialization of public services (socialization but not commercialization), promote the positive aspects, limit the negative aspects of the market mechanism, and international integration.

“Clearly define the leadership role of the Party, the management of the State, the mastery of the people; the role and position of public service units in the conditions of developing a socialist-oriented market economy, international integration and the fourth industrial revolution,” said the General Secretary.

The General Secretary requested that Central Committee members promote a high sense of responsibility, focus on research, discuss enthusiastically, and give opinions to complete reports, projects, draft resolutions, and conclusions of the Central Committee, and consider and decide on a number of other important issues at the end of the session./.

According to VOV