Many health stations once lacked patients
In 2019, a survey by the Ministry of Health showed that commune health stations only achieved a maximum of 0.6 visits/person/year, mainly thanks to campaign visits; while ward health stations only achieved more than 0.1 visits.
In Hanoi at that time, the whole city had 303 health stations that needed repair or new construction; many inner-city stations did not meet the area standards according to regulations. The city still lacked 91 doctors and 499 pharmacists for health stations; the proportion of doctors with specialized level I was still low.
The Ministry of Health once piloted a model of health stations operating according to the principle of family medicine in 4 localities in Hanoi. However, low remuneration, large workload and limitations in expertise are still barriers that make it difficult for grassroots healthcare to attract and retain doctors.
National Assembly Delegate Dang Bich Ngoc (Phu Tho delegation) said that grassroots healthcare is still a major "block", especially due to the lack of doctors and professional personnel in remote, isolated, and difficult areas.
Connecting upper-level hospitals with health stations
Along with building a project to establish 4 regional hospitals (Tay Ho, Hoang Mai, Thanh Xuan, Nam Tu Liem), Hanoi is implementing a model of commune and ward health stations linked to central and city-level hospitals to improve the quality of grassroots healthcare and reduce overload at the upper level.
A typical example is the comprehensive cooperation between Hanoi Medical University Hospital and Vinh Hung Ward Health Station, opening Vinh Hung General Clinic - Hanoi Medical University Hospital. This health station was built 4 years ago but has almost no patients. After cooperation, the quiet scene was replaced by the flow of people coming for examination every day, mainly elderly people. From early morning, people brought medical records to be directly examined by central-level doctors.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said that this is a turning point, marking the revival of grassroots health stations - health lines that have been operating ineffectively for a long time. The linkage model between central-level hospitals and ward health stations, with the participation of leading doctors, is expected to create a new face for grassroots health. This is also a step to concretize Resolution 72 of the Politburo and a major orientation in documents preparing to be submitted to the 14th Party Congress.
The difference of the model is that central-level doctors directly and regularly examine and treat patients at the station, instead of just providing short-term support in installments. This is the first model where central-level hospitals build medical examination and treatment facilities right in communes and wards, bringing practical benefits to both health stations and people.
Accordingly, the health station is comprehensively supported in terms of human resources, equipment, 24/24 hour emergency care, vaccination, chronic disease management and health education communication. People do not have to go to higher levels to wait but still have access to high-quality health services right at their place of residence.
