The medical sector should renew the operation mechanism, especially the financial mechanism, and promote the integration of healthcare services, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. 

PM Dung made the request at a meeting in Hanoi on February 24 to mark the 55th anniversary of Vietnamese Physicians' Day (February 27), and to review the implementation of the movement entitled “Studying and following the late President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example”.

He emphasised that it is essential to improve the living conditions of medical workers and increase the quality of healthcare services, particularly for the poor, the elderly and ethnic communities.

He conveyed best wishes to all medical official and workers nationwide on the lunar New Year.

On the occasion, he also conferred the “People’s Physician" title to 73 selected outstanding doctors to honour their contributions over the last year.

The Government leaders praised the medical sector’s remarkable achievements in recent years and urged the sector to focus on the prevention and control of epidemics, as well as building a more effective and capable medical sector.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister for Health Nguyen Quoc Trieu stressed that in following President Ho’s teaching: “a good doctor is like an affectionate mother”. He urged medical officials and workers across the countries to put a good deal of effort into providing the best healthcare services to patients.

So far, he said, Vietnam’s human development index (HDI) has constantly increased over the last two decades. The country eliminated polio and controlled infant tetanus, measles, whooping-cough and diphtheria.

Minister Trieu also highlighted the medical sector’s success in preventing and controlling many fatal diseases and epidemics, such as acute diarrhea, malaria, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Influenza A (H5N1).

The same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung cut the ribbon to inaugurate the cardiovascular centre of E Hospital in Hanoi.