It is my great pleasure to join you and deliver WHO's message at this important meeting on improving capacity and health service at commune level based on family medicine towards universal health coverage.
Last week, global health leaders gathered in Tokyo to examine the progress of global commitment toward universal health coverage, UHC. The commitment toward UHC was ensuring all people have access to quality health services where and when they need them, and without suffering financial hardship. It is the core of health-related sustainable development goals. The leader reconfirmed their commitment to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. The Health Minister of Viet Nam, Dr Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, also joined this renewed commitment.
On 12 December, last Tuesday, the world observed the UHC day. This year, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the resolution to observe UHC day by the whole United Nations. On that day, WHO in the Western Pacific issued the first monitoring report of countries progress toward UHC. Overall finding was that countries in the Western Pacific Region are on track for some targets, but overall progress is too slow to hit global targets by 2030.
More action needed to achieve universal health coverage in Asia and the Pacific by global deadline. This message also applies to Viet Nam. More action needed to achieve universal health coverage in Viet Nam. All countries will face important challenges to reach the SDG targets for NCDs. Viet Nam will also face similar challenges.
Ladies and gentlemen,
WHO acknowledged that protection, care and improvement of people’s health became a top priority of Viet Nam government's top policy agenda as the 12th Central Committee of Communist Part of Viet Nam adopted the resolution number 20. We also acknowledged that grass root health care network reform in order to enhance the capacity of disease prevention and control at grass root level health care facilities by adopting family medicine approach. We acknowledge it is a firm commitment of Viet Nam in doing more to achieve universal health coverage in Viet Nam.
The current plans for introducing family medicine in Viet Nam are an important step in the right direction. I’m pleased and encouraged to see Viet Nam’s commitment to family medicine, especially to strengthen the care given at the grassroots level.
Adopting family medicine approach will mean at first instance more clinical training to existing doctors at grass root health care facilities to improve their capacity for screening, early detection, management and treatment of non-communicable diseases. However, a short-term clinical training such as three-month training only will not be enough to build the capacity of the grassroots network or the trust of the community. It is a temporary solution.
It is essential to see family medicine in the broader context of the health systems design in Viet Nam.
First, parallel efforts to address policies that determine the current grassroots staffing and financing arrangements are needed to create genuine change in the way of working – including the relationship between district health centers and commune health stations. The District Health Centre Director should be empowered to create change around grass root health care network and remove legislative and policy barriers to facilitate transformation of the relationship between commune health station and district health center. Community should engage further in thinking about how the grass root health care facilities can do better at understanding and responding to their needs
Second, introduction of family medicine approach should be aligned with the overall reform in health personnel education reform both in undergraduate level and postgraduate medical specialty training programs. I would acknowledge that the party resolution also committed to renovate education and training program for health work forces. It also committed to adopt policies that are strong enough to encourage qualified people to work in local health facilities, in remote and isolated areas, border areas, islands and in preventive medicine etc.
Ladies and gentlemen
By building the capacity of your health workforce and equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver care in a way that is consistent with the principles of family medicine, giving them an appropriately expanded scope of responsibility and paying them accordingly; you will build the trust of the community in the health care providers that work at the local level.
WHO remains committed to supporting the Ministry in its efforts to strengthen the grassroots health system based on the principles of family medicine. We will continue to provide policy advice on financing and service delivery arrangements that will facilitate genuine shifts in the way the grassroots health workforce thinks and works, supporting the delivery of high quality care close to the community.
Thank you.
Dr Kidong Park