DECISION

APPROVING THE PLANNING ON HEALTHCARE NETWORK DEVELOPMENT TILL 2010 WITH A VISION TO 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
Pursuant to the Government s Decree No. 188/2007/ND-CP of December 27, 2007, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational Structure of the Ministry of Health:
Pursuant to the Governments Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP of September 7. 2006. on the formulation, approval and management of socio-economic development master plans, and Decree No. 04/2008/ND-CP of January 11. 2008, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP;
Pursuant to the Prime Ministers Decision No. 153/2006/OD-TTg of June 30, 2006. approving the master plan on development of Vietnams healthcare system till 2010 with a vision to 2020;
At the proposal of the Minister of Health,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the planning on healthcare network development till 2010 with a vision to 2020, with the following principal contents:

1. Planning objectives

a/ General objectives

To build and develop a healthcare network suitable to national socio-economic development conditions, raise the quality of healthcare services on par with those of regional advanced countries.meeting peoples healthcare needs towards equality, efficiency and development.

b/ Specific objectives

- By 2010, there will be at least 20.5 hospital beds (including two private ones), and by 2020, 25 hospital beds (including five private ones) per 10,000 people;

- By 2010, at least 80% of healthcare establishments will be able to apply techniques on the Health Ministrys list of classified technical levels;

- By 2010. more than 80%. and by 2020,100% of hospitals will have waste treatment systems adhering to the Health Ministrys regulations:

- By 2010. all healthcare establishments must control by themselves the quality of healthcare services according to the Health Ministrys regulations. By 2015. the quality of healthcare services must be regularly inspected at all healthcare establishments:

- By 2020, to complete the relocation of infectious disease hospitals to appropriate places:

- By 2015, all provinces and centrally run cities will have traditional medicine hospitals; by 2020. all of them will have functional rehabilitation hospitals.

2. Planning viewpoints

a/ To ensure the systematic and continuous professional operation at each level and among different levels. To develop in a balanced and rational manner general and specialized hospitals, develop general medicine in combination with specialized medicine and modem medicine with traditional medicine.

b/ Centrally run cities and provinces having grade-I urban centers shall concentrate investment in hospitals under the Ministry of Health and final-line hospitals; delta provinces and provinces having grade-Il and - III urban centers shall concentrate investment in provincial-level hospitals: mountainous, deep-lying and remote provinces shall concentrate investment in both provincial- and district-level hospitals, ensuring peoples access to healthcare services.

c/To arrange the healthcare network based on population clusters and medical-technical professional levels. The size of each hospital must suit the population size in the locality.

d/ To step by step transfer hospitals currently managed by other branches to provinces or centrally run cities or dissolve those hospitals if they are unnecessary or inefficient: to transform the health sectors convalescence-functional rehabilitation establishments into functional rehabilitation hospitals.

e/ To prioritize the training and development of human resources in the health sector: to renew hospital management mechanisms and modes with a view to raising healthcare quality.

3. Planning contents

a/To organize the healthcare network

- According to medical-technical professional levels:

+ Level 1: hospitals in provincial districts, towns and cities (collectively referred to as district hospitals) and health stations in communes, wards or townships (collectively referred to as commune health stations):

+ Level 2: general and specialized hospitals in provinces or cities; and regional general hospitals (collectively referred to as provincial hospitals);

+ Level 3: general and specialized hospitals under the Ministry of Health and a number of hospitals in provinces and centrally run cities as listed by the Ministry of Health.

- According to administrative levels:

+ Hospitals under the Ministry of Health:

+ Provincial hospitals;

+ Hospitals under health agencies managed by other branches.

b/ To develop specialized medical-technical operations

- To concentrate investment in four specialized health centers in Hanoi. Hue-Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho;

- To concentrate on building 10 general hospitals under provinces, centrally run cities or the Ministry of Health, which will function as regional hospitals.

c/ To develop specialized hospitals based on healthcare needs, population structure, disease patterns and socio-economic conditions.

4. The planning on healthcare network development till 2010 with a vision to 2020

a/ Healthcare establishments and hospital beds (excluding hospital beds of commune health stations and hospitals under die Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Public Security) till 2010

By 2010, there will be around 1.200 hospitals and research institutes with 190,000 hospital beds. By 2020, these figures will be 1,300 and 250,000, respectively.

b/There will be four specialized health centers in Hanoi, Hue-Da Nang. Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho, including hospitals listed by the Ministry of Health, meeting local peoples healthcare needs.

c/ Regional hospitals

To plan 10 regional hospitals under the Prime Ministers Decision No. 153/2006/QD-TTg of June 30, 2006, approving the master plan on development of Vietnams healthcare system till 2010 and a vision to 2020.

d/ Provincial and district hospitals

- To plan provincial general and specialized hospitals and district hospitals under the Prime Ministers Decision No. 153/2006/QD-TTg of June 30, 2006, approving the master plan on development of Vietnams healthcare system till 2010 and a vision to 2020;

-To step up the socialization of healthcare work so that by 2010, provinces having grade-II or higher-grade urban centers will have at least five private hospital beds, and by 2020, 10 private hospital beds, per 10,000 inhabitants.

e/ Regional general clinics

To maintain the operation of regional general clinics only in mountainous, deep-lying and remote areas where commune health stations are incapable of applying common healthcare techniques or providing common healthcare services.

f/ Commune health stations

To further consolidate, and invest in developing infrastructure, equipment and human resources of the network of commune health stations. To strive for the target that by 2010. around 80%, and by 2015. 100% of commune health stations nationwide will reach national standards on commune health.

g/ Emergency and emergency transportation networks

To develop and expand state-run and private emergency and emergency transportation networks in provinces and cities, ensuring 24/24-hour emergency service and timely and safe transportation of patients.

h/ Inspection of healthcare quality

To build a national healthcare service quality inspection.

5. Implementation solutions

a/ To step by step improve the legal system, disseminate, and educate people to voluntarily observe, the law on healthcare. To enhance inspection and examination work, and strictly handle violations of the law on healthcare.

b/To renew hospital management mechanisms

- To step up administrative reform, attaching importance to administrative procedure reform for prompt and convenient peoples healthcare services;

- To further renew mechanisms for management of state-run hospitals by increasing their autonomy and accountability in task performance, organizational apparatus, payroll and finance.

c/ To step up the socialization of healthcare work and diversify types of healthcare. To ensure that both state-run and private healthcare establishments are equal in all aspects; to increasingly raise the quality of peoples healthcare.

d/ To develop human resources in the health sector

-To enhance training and continuous training, giving priority to areas with extreme socio-economic difficulties or socio-economic difficulties;

- To attach importance to training specialized professionals, leading experts and hospital managers and administrators:

- To grant practice certificates to medical doctors and health workers in both state-run and private sectors.

e/ Science-technology solutions

- To enhance research, application and transfer of new healthcare techniques;

- To control the quality of healthcare services at healthcare establishments according to the Health Ministrys regulations; to step up the application of information technology to healthcare.

f/ Investment and financial solutions

- To create a breakthrough in investment, especially state budget investment and ODA sources for healthcare network development. To mobilize other lawful sources of capital from the society for implementation of the planning;

- State-run hospitals may enter into joint venture or cooperation with other economic sectors or get state preferential loans for construction investment and equipment procurement for development.

6. Implementation schedule

a/2008-2010period

- To prioritize the upgrading of district hospitals and regional general hospitals; to improve the capacity of commune health stations. To speed up the implementation of construction investment projects and develop regional and provincial hospitals;

- To effectively implement investment projects on upgrading provincial general hospitals in the Central Highlands, northern mountainous region and Mekong River delta region, and other projects for which investment preparations are underway;

- To increase investment in hospitals under specialized health centers in Hanoi. Hue-Da Nang. and Ho Chi Minh City;

- To invest in upgrading and developing hospitals in regions with a low rate of hospital beds;

- To prioritize investment in speeding up the training of quality health human resources to meet healthcare demands.

b/ 2011-2020 period

- To further improve and develop high techniques at specialized health centers, general and specialized hospitals under the Ministry of Health, regional hospitals, provincial general and specialized hospitals with a view to meeting diversified demands for high-quality healthcare services for peoples health protection, care and improvement;

- To invest in improving the Can Tho Central General Hospitals healthcare capacity to a high grade so that it can operate as a specialized health center in the Mekong River delta.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with concerned ministries and agencies and provincial/municipal Peoples Committees in. formulating programs and plans for. and examining, the implementation of thif planning: and regularly synthesize and report implementation results to the Prime Minister.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall arrange and balance investment resources for the health sector for the planning implementation according to schedule: and supervise the planning implementation nationwide.

3. The Ministry of Finance shall provide state budget allocations for the health sector under five-year and annual plans: and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Health in providing budget allocations for the implementation of this planning.

4. Concerned ministries and branches shall coordinate with the Ministry of Health in allocating their resources for the implementation of this planning.

5. Presidents of provincial/municipal Peoples Committees shall, within their management scope, direct and organize the implementation of this planning.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in CONG BAO and does not apply to healthcare establishments under the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Public Security.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and presidents of provincial/municipal Peoples Committees shall implement this Decision.