The 14th National Party Congress will take place from 19-25/1. Dao Hong Lan, a member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Health, spoke with the press about the implementation of Politburo's Resolution 72, issued on 9/9/2025. She also discussed key solutions aimed at resolving long-standing bottlenecks in the health sector, shifting from a "treatment" mindset to comprehensive, lifelong healthcare centered on the people.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan. Photo: Hoang Phong

"Minister, Politburo's Resolution 72 shifts the focus from medical examination and treatment to comprehensive healthcare. How is the Ministry implementing this direction?"

In recent times, the Party and the State have issued many important policies and mechanisms to promote the development of the health sector. Resolution 72, promulgated by the Politburo, is a groundbreaking guiding document, providing the foundation for caring for, protecting, and improving people's health.

Resolution 72 is based on the principle that people's health is the most valuable asset, serving as the core for implementing tasks and solutions in the health sector. The resolution also addresses long-standing bottlenecks in healthcare that have not been fundamentally resolved.

Resolution 72 outlines transformations in healthcare, moving from a primary focus on medical examination and treatment to comprehensive healthcare. It emphasizes the role of disease prevention and early, remote care for people's health.

The work of caring for, protecting, and improving people's health will be closely linked to comprehensive, lifelong health management. This represents a significant shift in the health sector's tasks moving forward.

With an approach focused on resolving bottlenecks, the Ministry of Health reported and proposed that the Government issue Resolution 282. This resolution outlines the Government's action program to implement Politburo's Resolution 72, detailing breakthrough solutions to enhance the protection, care, and improvement of people's health, along with a clear implementation plan and timeline.

After three months of implementing Resolution 72, under the decisive direction of the Government and the close coordination of ministries, implementation has been strongly promoted, creating initial changes.

Notably, localities have shown clear progress in developing resolutions, programs, and plans to concretize the spirit of Politburo's Resolution 72. This has led to the formation of practical projects, solutions, and policies suitable for each locality's specific conditions.

"One identified bottleneck is institutional frameworks. How will the Ministry of Health focus on addressing this issue?"

Resolution 72 requires a focus on resolving the second bottleneck: institutions. Recent reality shows that institutional inadequacies have created many obstacles in the implementation of the health sector's tasks.

Therefore, remaining issues and future development directions for the health sector will be addressed by improving institutional frameworks, policies, and mechanisms for resource mobilization and allocation. The consistent principle is that policy formulation must ensure close participation and coordination between the State and relevant stakeholders. It must also effectively combine public and private resources, empowering people in caring for, protecting, and improving public health. This approach aims to clearly establish the responsibility of the political system and society for healthcare, creating conditions for policies to be implemented effectively.

For the Ministry of Health, we will continue to review and improve regulations and mechanisms to remove bottlenecks, ensuring the synchronized implementation of solutions outlined in Resolution 72. The Ministry of Health has registered a legislative program for the next five years and subsequent years. Improving the quality of institutional development is identified as a key task, contributing to resolving bottlenecks and addressing gaps in the implementation of tasks related to caring for, protecting, and improving people's health.

Alongside institutional improvement, ensuring suitability, feasibility, and implementation effectiveness is crucial. Therefore, policy development and promulgation must be closely linked to implementation mechanisms and the participation of relevant stakeholders. Policies must be clear and transparent in practice, mobilizing the involvement of all levels, sectors, and society in caring for, protecting, and improving people's health. This also forms the basis for the health sector to implement tasks and solutions in the coming period, in line with the spirit of Resolution 72.

"What is the focus of resource mobilization for implementing the Resolution, particularly in combining State resources, health insurance funds, the private sector, and public participation?"

Resolution 72 proposes breakthrough solutions for resource mobilization, including both public and private resources. It also emphasizes the role, responsibility, and participation of people in implementing healthcare solutions.

To effectively utilize resources for the health sector, in addition to State resources, the focus is on implementing a national target program over the next 10 years with specific, highly effective solutions. Other resources also need effective mobilization and use, including the management and use of the health insurance fund, linked to the goal of universal health insurance. This involves promoting the role of private healthcare personnel and increasing public participation in self-care and health protection.

Innovating mechanisms and ensuring resources for public healthcare in the coming period requires specific solutions to comprehensively mobilize all resources. The consistent approach is to enhance coordination, promote the participation of all levels, sectors, and relevant stakeholders. This will be institutionalized through clear and transparent policies, providing a basis for effective implementation.

"How has the institutionalization of Resolution 72's directives been implemented, especially through documents submitted at the 10th session of the National Assembly?"

To implement Resolution 72, the Ministry of Health has actively submitted proposals to the Government, which has issued specific action programs and implementation plans. Furthermore, the Ministry advised the 14th session of the National Assembly on several important documents to concretize these contents.

First, the Ministry developed a National Assembly Resolution on specific, breakthrough solutions in people's healthcare and protection.

Second, we submitted to the National Assembly for approval the Law on Disease Prevention and the Law on Population. The Law on Disease Prevention includes mechanisms and policies to institutionalize key aspects of Resolution 72 that are of great public interest, such as lifelong healthcare. Disease prevention is prioritized as the initial solution in caring for, protecting, and improving people's health through specific policies. This is an important basis for the Ministry of Health to coordinate with other ministries and agencies in developing specific implementation plans.

Third, the Ministry of Health advised on submitting the National Target Program for Health Development and Population Policy for the next 10 years, ensuring resources for implementing these directives. This ensures that when institutional frameworks and policies are issued, resources are available for their implementation.

We believe this represents a significant effort, and people highly anticipate the specific solutions to be implemented. These efforts will contribute to comprehensive healthcare for a healthier Vietnam.

Simultaneously, with three approaches—changing mindset and awareness, concrete resolution and policy solutions, and ensuring resource allocation—implementation is proceeding synchronously from central to local levels.

"Regarding human resources and digital transformation, what is the Minister's focus to meet the demands of comprehensive, early, remote, and grassroots-level healthcare?"

One bottleneck clearly stated in Resolution 72 is addressing human resource difficulties to ensure the implementation of healthcare mechanisms and policies.

We must focus on training healthcare staff, recognizing healthcare personnel training as a specialized profession. Therefore, policies and mechanisms to resolve specific training issues for the health sector are clearly reflected in the Politburo's Resolution.

Resolution 72 also outlines policies for supporting healthcare personnel, especially those in grassroots healthcare, preventive medicine, and other priority areas, to serve as a basis for concretizing legal documents and practical implementation solutions.

Another important task is to create mechanisms for the development of the grassroots healthcare system. To achieve the goal of providing early, remote, and grassroots-level healthcare, the Ministry of Health has completed tasks related to implementing healthcare for people at the grassroots level. This has garnered significant public support, including changes in format and enhanced functions and duties of grassroots healthcare.

Localities also support and implement these initiatives with various solutions. For example, Ha Noi, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, and many other provinces and cities have implemented specific activities outlined in Resolution 72, receiving public approval.

Additionally, the task of improving the quality of human resource training in the health sector is also a priority. Resolution 72 provides directions, and the Ministry of Health has coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training in improving the legal framework for training, including content related to the development orientation of human resources for the health sector.

Furthermore, regarding policies for healthcare staff and human resource utilization at grassroots levels, many solutions will be developed to attract healthcare professionals in general. The focus will be on priority areas such as preventive medicine and staff working at commune and ward levels, who directly care for people at the grassroots.

A further solution is to enhance international cooperation, apply science and technology, and drive digital transformation in healthcare. This is a strength that the Ministry has focused on implementing.

Currently, the Ministry of Health is actively developing and implementing specific solutions for building and applying electronic medical records and electronic health records, establishing healthcare databases, applying artificial intelligence in scientific research, and advancing digital transformation in the health sector to improve convenience, suitability, and access to science and technology to enhance public healthcare.

With this spirit, utilizing domestic resources while absorbing global scientific and technical advancements will create stronger development steps in implementing specific solutions, supporting the care and protection of people's health.

Xuan Hoa