Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi on May 16 hosted an international dialogue on primary healthcare in the Southeast Asian country in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), state media reported. The event was co-organized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, the World Economic Forum (WEF), Harvard Medical School, and Switzerland’s Novartis International AG. Participants at the dialogue discussed four major topics in primary healthcare in Vietnam, namely (i) achievements, (ii) chances and challenges, (iii) targets and policies for future renovation, and (iv) international cooperation. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son underlined Vietnam’s efforts in the work, such as the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s issuance of Resolution 20-NQ/TW on primary healthcare and health insurance for the public, the government’s issuance of Decision 2348/QD-TTg on developing grassroots healthcare, and a project on piloting building 26 commune-level medical centers in eight provinces and cities. According to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), the number of Vietnamese people joining healthcare insurance was 83.7 million at the end of April, or 88.8% of the population. (Bo Y Te, moh, BNews, InfoNet, Cong Thuong)
