The Ministry of Health is a governmental agency functioning as a state administrator in healthcare including sectors as diverse as preventive healthcare, medical examination, medical treatment, rehabilitation; medical assessment, forensics,  forensic psychiatry; traditional medicine; reproductive health; medical equipment; medicine; cosmetics; food safety; health insurance; population – family planning; state management over public services in the area of the ministry’s supervision, including policies governing national defence and security.

Dr Pham Le Tuan giving medical equipment and vehicles to the Border Guard Command

Over the past years, thanks to the attention and development of the Party and State, the effort of the whole industry and the positive involvement of other ministries, industries and the whole society, Vietnam has gained significant achievements in ensuring people’s health. This is a favourable factor creating solid base for the development of the industry, making contribution to developing socio-economic development of the country. Notably, healthcare system from central to local level are being perfected. The quality of medical services, hospitals; the system of policies on health insurance; medical examination and treatment, hospital fees; preventive healthcare; food safety, etc., are being enhanced. The combination between civil and military medicine has gained practical effectiveness, particularly in remote areas; defence and security education in the ministry and medical facilities has developed in depth.

To gain the above achievements, the ministry  has carried out a number of solutions as follow:

First, strengthening propagation and education to raise awareness of cadres and staffs of the industry of the defence and security missions in the new situation. To implement well defence and security education, the ministry has directed its junior agencies to strictly adhere to the Directive 12-CT/TW of the Politburo (X tenure), the Decree 116/2007/NĐ-CP dated 10-7-2007 of the Government on defence and security education, the Law on defence and security education. Every year, the ministry’s military command actively screen and build plan for defence and security training for senior cadres, and have early notification so that they can arrange their work to attend. Thereby, in 2015, 100% of object 1 and 60% of object 2 coming from the ministry headquarters and its juniors offices completed defence and security training. Second, actively study, build and issue documents directing and guiding  the implementation of defence work. For the past years, the military command of the ministry has consulted and helped leaders of the ministry build action plans, issue legal documents to direct and guide the implementation of defence and security mission through out the industry. Moreover, the ministry also ordered its junior agencies to coordinate with related offices of the Ministry of National Defence to build and complete plans for wartime. The military and  civilian medicine board of the ministry has ordered those of the military zones and provinces to build military-medical geographies as basis to build plans of medical ensuring for defence and security. Third, build strategy for medical development with defence and security … The ministry has built strategies and plans for developing the industry which are closely tied with the mission of Homeland protection. All short-term, middle-term and long-term strategies and plans are included with defence and security maintenance, meeting the demand of developing socio-economic of each locality and matching the general socio-economic development plan of the whole country. Fourth, attach importance to building a powerful reserve force meeting the requirements of defence missions. Fully aware of the importance of the mission, the ministry has actively built its mobilization plan including human resource, vehicle, medical equipment with sufficient quality and quantity and mission-readiness. Implementing the Degree 137/2005/QĐ-TTg dated 09-6-2005 of the Prime Minister on granting state plan on building and mobilizing the reserve force, the ministry has coordinated with the Ministry of National Defence, provincial and municipal people’s committees in directing and guiding the building of reserve force of the industry in localities, including: regional hospitals, combat hospitals and nation-wide treating teams; directed to carry out exercises combined with defensive area exercise in accordance with the targets granted by the Government; held training sessions in military medicine knowledge and the ability to fulfill mission of the reserves. Fifth, promote the military and  civilian synergy in providing healthcare for people, preventing disease and protecting the environment. Due to global climate change, the outbreak of natural disasters and diseases  increases in frequency and complicacy causing huge losses in human and property. Facing the situation, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Defence have directed military and civilian medical boards at all levels to build plans for responding and overcoming caused by calamities and consequences of socio-economic development. National programs namely,  Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), Malnutrition Prevention and Control Program, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program, Population and Family Planning, etc., have been carried out effectively nation-wide, particularly in remote areas, contributing to consolidating people’s belief in the Party and State. By implementing synchronously a number of solutions, the Ministry of Health has always successfully fulfilled defence missions and been praised by the Ministry of National Defence, thereby contributing to accomplishing the two strategic missions of building and protecting the Homeland in the new situation.

Assoc. Prof, Dr. Pham Le Tuan

Deputy Minister of Health