Editor’s note: Van Thanh, a 23-year-old medical student, joined the“Ky Vong Viet Nam 20 Nam Toi” (“My Expectations for Vietnam in 20 Years”) writing contest with a dream that illnesses would no longer be a cause for concern in Vietnam in 2035. If Thailand boasts a tourism industry, why do we not dream of a medical industry for Vietnam, which draws patients from regional countries? As a medical student, my greatest hope is witnessing advances in the local healthcare sector, regarding medical staff’s expertise, modernity and people’s access to medical services. Illnesses- great worry Eight years ago, my cousin died of head trauma at 24 following a road accident. The inadequacy at a provincial-level hospital failed to grab the young man back from the Death. Even at a central hospital, I once witnessed an elderly patient who had no option but to refuse treatment after the hospital staff told him his treatment fee. The sum may be inconsiderable for many, but is out of reach for a poor farmer with a hopelessly debilitating illness. During my internship months, I witnessed and deeply felt the anguish of patients, particularly needy ones. Not few of them insisted on going home as they could not afford treatment fees. My aunt told me that medical care in Canada is totally free, with everyone gaining equal access to treatment. I know that a comparison between Vietnam and a wealthy country is feeble, but I think we can yearn for such a medical care system or at least consider it a goal to strive for. I expect that in the 20 years to come, the local medicine would surpass regional countries regarding expertise, professionalism, and satisfaction indices. Illnesses would no longer be a cause for concern among the entire Vietnamese population, at least in treatment fees. Investment in medical staff, welfare policies If my cousin’s death is partly put down to inadequacy in medical expertise and equipment, the poor farmer’s refusal of treatment is suggestive of a social welfare story. I think it is not easy to achieve the target of medical insurance for the entire population, or boosting the practicality and helpfulness of medical insurance. It requires drastic reforms in our thinking, and strategies to render my expectations workable. We also need to consider social welfare one of the integral criteria in assessing the country’s socio-economic growth, and adopt more innovative approaches. In my opinion, the first solution is about human resources. A thriving healthcare sector would verge on the impossible without talented, dedicated staff. Perhaps it’s time that the government invest in personnel training with its own budget instead of waiting for funding sources. The government should send local staff to most medically-advanced countries so that the local staff can adopt their cutting-edge technology, professional and patient-friendly working attitudes. Grey matter outflow to other countries should not be a deterrent. The government should pin all their trust in the medical staff sent abroad, particularly young ones. It’s our trust that would bond them tightly with their country. Selection of staff to study abroad should also be made based on their capacity and dedication, not on their auspicious relations or something else. Furthermore, enhancement to the medical insurance services should be based on revenues from paid and on-demand services. We should aim at a high-quality medical insurance system by feeding on the medical sector’s own resources, with the entire revenues from both public and private facilities being dedicated to improving locals’ health and upgrading the social welfare system. We have transformed ourselves from a country in which its people had hardly enough food to feed themselves to a major rice exporter. So is turning our country which has been freed from the grip of poverty into a health care power a far-fetched dream? Perhaps it is not, as we abound with gifted, devoted staff, and we Vietnamese people are always eager to learn and diligent. Apart from these, we also need upgrades in various areas, including reforms in administrative procedures; incentive policies on brilliant personnel; and legal amendments to facilitate medical research and treatment. Also needed are policies to boost construction of private clinics by locals or expats, and recruitment of only those who are capable and abide strictly by professional ethics. “Ky Vong Viet Nam 20 Nam Toi” is a competition organized by the World Bank in Vietnam and Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that encourages local youths to write down their wildest, yet feasible, dreams about how Vietnam will change in 20 years’ time.
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