Hanoi (VNA)🍸 - Vietnam’s healthcare system is being strongly influenced by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation, and innovation. These are both inevitable and essential for building a healthcare sector that is sustainable, equitable, high-quality, efficient, and internationally integrated. As such, Vietnam must further accelerate healthcare digitalisation to improve services and better safeguard public health.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long made this statement at the forum titled “Innovation and Digital Transformation to Advance Comprehensive, Sustainable Healthcare in the New Era”, held in Hanoi on 6 June by Pharma Group in collaboration with FPT Corporation.

Significant progress in healthcare digital transformation

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long highlighted notable strides in recent years: all hospitals now operate with hospital information systems; many medical institutions have adopted electronic health records through the VNeID platform, offer remote consultations, use electronic prescriptions and artificial intelligence (AI) in treatment, and even apply robotic surgery. However, several challenges remain. Infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data protection systems are not yet synchronised; digital progress is uneven across sectors; and there is still a shortage of high-quality healthcare professionals to meet practical demands. The COVID-19 pandemic also exposed gaps in preventive and grassroots healthcare, as well as weaknesses in medicine and medical device supply chains. These shortcomings, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, require urgent reform in leadership and policy to deliver more effective and inclusive public healthcare. As Party General Secretary To Lam has directed, the sector must shift from a reactive model (treatment) to a proactive one (prevention and wellness), and make breakthroughs in science, innovation, and comprehensive digital transformation. To this end, the Politburo has recently issued several key resolutions: Resolution No. 57 on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; Resolution No. 59 on international integration; Resolution No. 66 on legal reforms; Resolution No. 68 on private sector development. These policies, along with an upcoming resolution focused on healthcare, are set to become institutional pillars driving national development and breakthroughs in healthcare delivery.

Three breakthroughs needed for healthcare reform

Truong Gia Binh, Chairman of FPT Corporation, stated: “Vietnam has chosen to rise in this new era. To realise that aspiration, the health sector must pursue three breakthroughs: reforming regulatory frameworks, fostering innovation, and advancing public-private partnerships.” On regulatory reform, Binh emphasised the need to abandon the mindset of "if you can't manage it, ban it," and instead view regulation as a tool for global competitiveness. "How can Vietnamese citizens access new medicines as quickly as those in the US or Japan? How can we raise the rate of access to new drugs from 9% to 51% like Japan? These should be the goals of institutional reform,” he said. Regarding innovation, Binh noted Vietnam's potential to become a hub for clinical trials and AI-driven pharmaceutical manufacturing, with one million IT engineers and a growing pool of AI talent. For public-private collaboration, he called for a unified data platform connecting hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, doctors, and pharmacists. US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper stressed that innovation in health and pharmaceuticals is enabling tangible improvements in public healthcare. In recent years, the Ministry of Health has deepened cooperation with US companies under supportive policy frameworks promoting innovation and digital health for sustainable care. Ambassador Knapper noted the joint commitment to creating a favourable legal environment, including intellectual property protections and streamlined administrative processes, to ensure timely and affordable access to new, advanced medicines in Vietnam.

Darrell Oh, Chairman of Pharma Group, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to supporting Vietnam’s Vision 2045: “By working together, we can turn policy aspirations into real change and improve health outcomes in a lasting way. Investing in health is investing in Vietnam’s most valuable asset - its people.” On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long called for stronger investment in scientific research and the development of high-tech laboratories and medical research centres. He prioritised research in biotechnology, disease surveillance, early warning systems, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

He also called on domestic and international experts, scientists, and businesses to continue working closely with Vietnam to develop a more comprehensive and sustainable healthcare system - one that protects public health and contributes to global healthcare progress. With its broad strategic theme and practical initiatives, the Forum addressed three pressing challenges: improving quality of life, expanding access to healthcare, and fostering a pharmaceutical industry powered by innovation, AI, and data./.