Grassroots healthcare transforms strongly, reducing overload for upper levels
Many hospitals and lower-level medical facilities are being heavily invested in human resources, equipment and technology, gradually improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, reducing pressure on upper-level hospitals and aiming for the goal of universal health care.
Grassroots healthcare gradually regains confidence
Central and provincial hospitals are currently promoting support for grassroots healthcare through technology transfer, human resource training and strengthening doctors for commune health centers and health stations.
In Hanoi, Hanoi Medical University Hospital has just put into operation Vinh Hung General Clinic under a model in coordination with Vinh Hung Ward Health Station. The health station is responsible for primary health care, while the clinic supports expertise, modern technology and a team of doctors to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu - Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, this model helps to detect diseases early, treat them promptly and reduce overload for upper levels. The clinic operates 24/7, deploying more than 1,100 techniques and a remote consultation system.
MSc.BSCK II Nguyen Thu Huong - Thanh Nhan Hospital - said that many people still go beyond the tuyến (level/level) due to the health station lacking doctors, medicine and not creating trust. Currently, health stations are being supported according to the "holding hands and guiding" model, from human resources, techniques to medicine and equipment.
However, the biggest difficulty of grassroots healthcare is still the lack of high-quality human resources and the mechanism to retain doctors. Many health stations manage up to 130,000 - 150,000 people but lack specialized doctors, causing many techniques, even if approved, to still not be deployed. In addition, uninterconnected medical examination and treatment data also makes patients have to repeat tests, causing costs and time waste.
According to experts, if the problem of human resources, digital transformation and building people's trust is not solved, the overload situation at upper-level hospitals will continue to prolong.
People benefit from high technology in the locality
Resolution 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo identifies the shift in focus from "treatment" to "universal disease prevention", taking grassroots healthcare as the foundation. In that spirit, many localities are strongly innovating the grassroots healthcare system, making health stations the "first medical touchpoint" in people's health care. Not only in Hanoi, the grassroots healthcare system in localities is also gradually transforming.
The implementation of coronary intervention techniques at Lao Cai Provincial General Hospital No. 2 has brought clear results, helping people access high-tech medical services right in the locality.
Patient N.N.Q - Xuan Quang commune, Lao Cai province - shared: After a period of mild chest tightness, he went to the Cardiovascular Center for examination and was diagnosed with 80% coronary artery stenosis. Thanks to immediate intervention at the provincial hospital, he did not have to go to Hanoi for treatment, reducing many costs and travel pressure.
Patient T.T. H in Bat Xat commune was diagnosed with coronary artery stenosis after a long period of chest pain. Timely intervention in the locality helped him feel secure in treatment, reducing the burden on his family.
According to MSc.BS Ngo Tien Thai - Deputy Head of Cardiology - Intervention Department, the implementation of the DSA system helps improve the ability to provide emergency care and treat dangerous cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome. Currently, the hospital has mastered nearly 800 special techniques, gradually becoming a high-tech medical center of the province.
MSc.BSCKII Nguyen Trung Hieu - Deputy Director of Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health - said that the locality is completing a network for receiving, diagnosing and treating stroke, and developing an extrahospital emergency system to help patients be transported quickly to the nearest medical facility.
According to Ms. Vu Thi Hoang Hanh - Vice Chairwoman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, the locality currently has 12.9 doctors/ten thousand people and 43.4 beds/ten thousand people; about 50% of medical staff have a master's degree or higher in major I. Lao Cai is also one of the first localities to deploy electronic medical records at 100% of medical examination and treatment facilities.
In particular, many specialized techniques such as kidney transplantation and in vitro fertilization have been implemented right in the locality, helping the referral rate decrease from 5% in 2021 to 3.8% in 2025.
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