Vinh Phuc (VNA) -𓂃 The northern provinceof Vinh Phuc has paid due attention this year to training its medical personneland improving systems in a coordinated manner, to meet the healthcare needs of localpeople.

It has viewed the provision of healthcare as an urgenttask and enhanced disease prevention efforts in line with improvements inpublic health. To bolster the quality of medical examinations andtreatment, the province earmarked more than 3.3 trillion VND (142.66 million USD)in the 2016-2020 period for infrastructure, including a 1,000-bed provincialGeneral Hospital and a 500-bed obstetric and paediatric hospital. Vinh Phuc has completed the construction of ahospital and clinic in Tam Dao district along with three other clinics in VinhTuong and Song Lo districts and Phuc Yen city. Some 94.16 billion VND has also been disbursed toupgrade 72 health clinics in the local area. The province boasts a strong contingency of 4,300medical workers and all clinics meet national standards. It has 13 doctors and32.1 hospital beds per 10,000 people, and has set itself a target of bringingthese figures to 15 and 40 by 2025. Five satellite hospital projects on oncology,cardiovascular diseases, obstetrics, paediatrics, and trauma surgery have beenrolled out, and medical facilities at the provincial and district levelequipped with the necessary modern machines. Furthermore, 13 out of the 15 health facilities havebecome financially independent, saving the State budget nearly 200 billion VND eachyear and raising quality at local hospitals. The province’s healthcare sectorhas also taken the initiative in administrative reform.

It has been stepping up efforts to curb the spreadof HIV/AIDS in the community, with a focus on communications work.
🐼 Aware that behaviour-changing educational andcommunications activities are a key solution in fighting the disease, theprovince has tried to diversify the forms of communications.

It has mobilised all types of mass communications,from radio and TV to the network of public loudspeakers at the grassrootslevel. Due regard has also been given to making content simple and relevant. The province will continue to work to raise publicawareness about measures to prevent the transmission of HIV and eradicatediscrimination against HIV carriers. Vinh Phuc was among the first COVID-19 hotspots inVietnam since the disease made its appearance in the country in January. Of thefirst 16 positive cases recorded, Vinh Phuc had 11 and its rural Son Loicommune alone reported seven cases – all due to a group of Vietnamese workersreturning from a training trip to China’s Wuhan, where the world’s firstCOVID-19 infections were confirmed. The 22-day lockdown effectively restricted allincoming or outgoing travel from the commune with a population of 10,000,aiming at containing the outbreak from spreading further in the community. Itwas officially lifted at midnight on March 4. Vinh Phuc has a large number of workers and foreign-investedenterprises. Currently, 87,000 workers are working in industrial zones, mostlyin factories. The provincial Management Board of Industrial Zonessaid it has asked all enterprises to conduct preventive measures, includingspraying disinfectants, establishing checkpoints to check workers’ bodytemperature, supplying face masks to workers and customers, washing hands withdisinfectant solution, and classifying and quarantining those returning fromepidemic-hit areas. Provincial forces have regularly sent inspectionteams to factories to remind both enterprise leaders and workers to followregulations on the prevention of the disease. Enterprises have been asked to provide timely andaccurate information on suspected cases and report to functional forces forquarantine. In addition, prevention of the disease has also beentightened in apartment buildings./.