On 15/9, the Government issued an action plan to implement Resolution 72 of the Politburo on breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care, and improvement of people's health.

Starting in 2026, the Government will coordinate activities such as free periodic health check-ups, screenings for students, occupational health checks for workers, and health insurance examinations. This aims to ensure all citizens have access to free health check-ups. Concurrently, electronic health records will be created for each person to manage lifelong health information.

A project to gradually provide free healthcare will be implemented, prioritizing those covered by social policies, vulnerable groups, low-income individuals, and other priority groups within the scope of health insurance benefits. Along with increasing the health budget, the Government will expand health insurance coverage to include more preventive services, screenings, early diagnosis, and prenatal and neonatal screenings for congenital diseases.

The State also encourages the development of commercial health insurance, piloting diverse health insurance packages tailored to people's needs and strengthening the link between public health insurance and commercial health insurance.

People receive check-ups before vaccination. Photo: Giang Huy

The Ministry of Health has been tasked with refining the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of commune health stations, modeling them as public service units providing basic disease prevention and primary healthcare. By 2030, the Government aims for each province and city to have at least one specialized hospital and one geriatric hospital or department; improved reproductive and pediatric healthcare services; better maternal and child nutrition; and reduced health disparities between regions.

The traditional medicine system will receive investment to enhance capacity, with mechanisms to support the cultivation, processing, and development of specialized medicinal herb areas. Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine will be developed into national key universities.

To encourage private sector participation in healthcare, the Government will prioritize allocating cleared land and land recovered from projects, allowing land-use conversion for healthcare purposes; surplus state agency offices after restructuring will also be allocated for healthcare facilities. Private entities can lease state-owned facilities to develop health services.

Resolution 72, issued on 9/9, sets the goal of providing free periodic health check-ups for all citizens from 2026 and basic free healthcare within the scope of health insurance benefits by 2030. The target is an average life expectancy of 75.5 years, with a minimum of 68 healthy life years, and an increase in the average height of children and adolescents by at least 1.5 cm.

By 2045, Vietnam strives for a high-quality living environment, with health indicators and essential service coverage on par with developed countries, an average life expectancy of over 80 years, and over 71 healthy life years. The health system will be built to be "modern, equitable, effective, sustainable, prioritizing disease prevention, and meeting the increasingly high and diverse healthcare needs" as outlined in the Resolution.

Vu Tuan