Traditional medicine plays an important role in people's health care
Standing Deputy Minister of Health Vu Manh Ha spoke at the conference to improve the quality and effectiveness of medical examination and treatment of health insurance (HI) in the field of traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals organized by the Department of HI - Ministry of Health on the afternoon of May 29, emphasizing that traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals are an important part of Vietnamese medicine, formed, inherited and developed through many generations, contributing to caring for, protecting and improving people's health. The consistent viewpoint of the Party and State is to promote the value of traditional medicine on the basis of harmonious combination with modern medicine.
According to Standing Deputy Minister Vu Manh Ha, in the past time, the Party and State have issued many important guidelines and policies to develop this field, especially Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo on a number of breakthrough solutions in the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health and Directive No. 25/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on promoting the development of Vietnamese traditional medicine in the new period; in which it is required to promote the potential and strengths of traditional medicine;
Strengthen state management; improve system capacity; combine traditional medicine with modern medicine in training, disease prevention and treatment; improve the quality of traditional medicine, medicinal herbs and promote the dissemination of traditional medicine values to the community.
In recent years, the traditional medicine medical examination and treatment network has been gradually strengthened. Currently, the whole country has 05 traditional medicine hospitals directly under the Ministry and Ministries and sectors; 61 provincial-level traditional medicine hospitals and 10 private traditional medicine hospitals.
In 2025, the rate of traditional medicine examination and treatment reached about 3.3% of the total number of medical examinations and treatments, equivalent to about 7 million examinations.
Health insurance policies for the traditional medicine and pharmaceutical sector are gradually being completed. The current health insurance payment list includes 229 traditional medicines, medicines from medicinal herbs and 349 traditional medicine ingredients;...
Improving the efficiency of using the Health Insurance Fund for traditional medicine
At the conference, the Deputy Minister requested a comprehensive assessment of the current situation of the system and the organization of health insurance medical examination and treatment in the field of traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals; clarifying the achieved results, difficulties, obstacles and requirements set out in the current period.
At the same time, propose solutions to improve professional quality, service quality and effectiveness of using the HI Fund for medical examination and treatment in traditional medicine; strengthen the combination of traditional medicine with modern medicine, ensuring that patients have access to services more safely, effectively and conveniently.
Research and propose to improve the health insurance medical examination and treatment mechanism in the field of traditional medicine, especially the mechanism for registering for initial medical examination and treatment at traditional medicine facilities in accordance with professional capacity and practical needs.
At the same time, build a list of diseases and disease groups to access specialized facilities to ensure science and patients' rights.
In addition, review and update regulations on technical services, traditional medicine and health insurance payment mechanisms in a scientific, feasible, and timely manner, ensuring the balance of the health insurance fund and meeting the requirements of traditional medicine and pharmaceutical development.
Promoting the innovation of health insurance policies for traditional medicine associated with the trend of strongly shifting to disease prevention and early and remote health care; strengthening the application of information technology, digital transformation and data interconnection.
Strongly shift from treatment to comprehensive health care
Standing Deputy Minister Vu Manh Ha said that at the working session on May 20, 2026 with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized the requirement to strongly shift from healing thinking to comprehensive health care; promote the role of traditional medicine in disease prevention, rehabilitation, care for the elderly and bring true traditional medicine to the community.
This is a strategic orientation for the development of traditional medicine in the new period, both preserving and promoting traditional values, and promoting research, standardization, modernization and enhancing the value of traditional medicine.
At the same time, this is also an important basis for the health sector to continue to improve health insurance mechanisms and policies, develop traditional medicine in grassroots healthcare and promote the combination of traditional medicine with modern medicine in a practical and effective way" - Standing Deputy Minister Vu Manh Ha said.
