Hanoi (VNA) - The Joint Ministers ofFinance and Health Symposium on Universal Health Coverage in Asia and thePacific, with the theme “COVID-19 and Beyond”, was held online by the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) in Hanoi on September 17, with the participation ofvarious countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

ADB representatives hailed Vietnam’s success indealing with COVID-19 and securing socio-economic development.

Along with stable macro-economic conditions andinflation under control, the consumer price index has fallen in recent months andthe monetary market, credit and foreign exchange basically remained stable.

In his speech at the event, which focused on the financialmechanism applied in Vietnam to respond to COVID-19 amid lower State budget revenue,Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung said Vietnam has prioritised budget funds forpreventive medicine.

It has spent at least 30 percent of its health carebudget on preventive medicine each year, he said.

The minister underlined that, in Vietnam, the Statebudget covers most public health services, while those for health examinationsand treatment are covered by compulsory health insurance. The primaryhealthcare fee is jointly paid by health insurance, the people, and the Statebudget, he said, adding that the country is speeding up the restructuring of theState healthcare budget to better care for people, especially those from ethnicminority groups or in mountainous regions, border areas, and islands.

The minister clarified that Vietnam has optimised all locally-availableresources for fighting COVID-19. As early as the first cases of COVID-19 werereported in the world, the Government directed ministries and sectors to build responseplans, and ensure sufficient funding and human resources for preventivemeasures, quarantine, and treatment following the principle of four on-the-spotresources.

He stressed that Vietnam has persistently implementedthe twin goals of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and removing difficultiesfor production and business, thus maintaining macro-economic stability, preventingdisruption of socio-economic activities, reining in inflation, and ensuring socialwelfare.

Specifically, a 62-trillion VND package was launchedto support people affected by COVID-19, along with reductions, exemptions, and paymentextensions on fees and taxes, to ease difficulties for enterprises. Administrativeprocedures were also reformed, while the business environment has been improved.

At the same time, Vietnam also worked to ensure thesupply of essential medical supplies and equipment. Import taxes on goodsserving pandemic prevention were suspended.

The minister proposed that Health and FinanceMinistries of other countries continue to support Vietnam in enhancing the capacityof preventive medicine, while sharing information and experience in treatmentand vaccine research, helping the country promote sustainable growth./.