The public-private partnership (PPP) approach can bring meaningful benefits to Vietnam’s health sector, U.S. Ambassador David Shear was cited in a news release as saying at a workshop Thursday in Hanoi.

“PPP carries the potential for meaningful benefits for the healthcare sector, and the United States has committed its sincerest support to this approach,” Shear was quoted in the release issued the same day by the U.S. Embassy in the capital city.

Shear and Vietnamese Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien chaired yesterday the “Workshop on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the Health Sector" to foster interaction between the government and the private sector.

Tien emphasized the importance of PPP in healthcare, adding that “the workshop enhances the opportunity for matching supply and demand.”

The demand and expectation for quality health services have continued to increase since Vietnam entered the ranks of middle-income country status.

Through the PPP approach, the government and businesses work together to address priority health problems to improve the overall healthcare situation for Vietnamese and meet their increasing demand.

The workshop promoted the exchange of ideas and discussions on important technical, regulatory, and policy issues in the area.

It also provided a forum to discuss the creation of a task force to promote PPP in healthcare, the production of a list of demands for PPP in hospital management and investment, medical devices, drug development and management, and clinical trials.

The event was attended by over 160 delegates from the Vietnamese side, the U.S. Embassy, U.S. companies, and multi-lateral organizations, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Health Organization.