HCM City (VNA) – APEC officials shared the views that financeremains one of the biggest challenges to the health sector at a meeting in HoChi Minh City on August 23.

The seventh APEC High-Level Meeting on Health and the Economy forms partof the third APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 3).

In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam described themeeting as a specific action to materialise the APEC leaders’commitments to a healthy Asia-Pacific region.

The official pointed out a range of challenges to the health sector likethe rapid spread of new diseases, population aging and the prevalence ofnon-communicable diseases.

“Vietnam has paid attention to developing good-quality medical centresand the staff of health workers while seeking ways to make it easier for residentsin remote areas and vulnerable groups to access the best health services,especially preventive medicine,” he said.

To that end, it is necessary to invest more in the health sector, hesaid, noting that Vietnam spends 6.6 percent of its GDP on health care. However,the outcomes remain moderate as medical equipment and materials are sold atglobal prices, causing difficulties for developing countries like Vietnam.

Thanks to the support of international organisations and many of theAPEC members, Vietnam has basically completed the UN Millennium DevelopmentGoals and expects to reach health-related objectives set in the SustainableDevelopment Goals, he said.

Health insurance now covers 82 percent of Vietnam’s population, DeputyPM Dam said, noting that to fulfill the target of having all people covered with healthinsurance, it requires different services packages to meet their diverserequirements.

He also underlined the need to encourage the participation of economicsectors in grassroots health facilities and health care services for theelderly.

Vietnam is working on a master programme, which puts forth measures forthe health sector in the time to come, he said.

Addressing the event, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said each APEC economy, considering its social,economic, political, historical, and cultural context, will need to determinethe most effective and efficient way to ensure all people and communitiesreceive quality health services they need, without suffering the financialhardship.

Securingsustainable and sufficient funds for health is crucial, but it is not a single prerequisiteto achieve universal coverage. Using the available fund efficiently andstrategically, arranging appropriate service delivery model, regulating healthservice quality and safety, empowering people and communities on their healthawareness, just to name a few, are all needed on the pathway to universal health coverage, she said.

Thisprocess requires efficient regulation which can harness dynamic and innovativeapproaches, from both public and private sectors, in solving complex healthsystem issues.

Vietnamhas taken many good practices and measures in making progress toward universal health coverage. In recent years,Vietnam has invested substantially in the supply-side infrastructure and humanresources for health as well as promoted more equal access to health services for thepeople. These measures have significantly improved health outcomes and lifeexpectancy of the Vietnamese people.

However, she said, like many APEC developing economies, Vietnamfaces health financing issues, such as high out-of-pocket spending, a largeinformal sector, still limited access to health in rural remote settings,hospital-centric systems, and inefficiencies in the use of health care resources.

Resourcesseem to be concentrated heavily in curative services while not enough oncost-effective preventive, promotive and primary health care services. The callfor universal health coverage based on the principles of primary health carehas encouraged a policy dialogue on health care financing reform to build moreequitable, efficient and effective health systems.

In theforthcoming time, Vietnam will shift the focus and resources towards theprimary levels of care for providing the people with public health andessential health services that are accessible, safe, effective, and affordable, Minister Tien said.

Lokky Wai, WHO Chief Representative in Vietnam, told Vietnam News Agency reporters that it is very timely to have this meeting becausemany of the APEC economies are in the middle income status and economic growthneeds healthy people.

He shared Tien's views that finance remains the biggest challengesto the health sector in efforts to improve its quality.

Matilde Maddeleno from Chile’s Ministry ofHealth said APEC member economies are mobilsing social resources for themedical sector.

🎉 Vietnam has raised initiatives at the meeting thanks to its good insight into the global health sector,she said.-VNA