1Department of Medical Services Administration, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam
2The Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Abstract
Private healthcare services in Vietnam are seen as a major part of the solution to the rapid increase in need and demand for healthcare services. Formally recognized over 20 years ago, the private health services coexist with public services and are available all over the country. However, the scale and size of private sector is still small compared to the public sector and public acceptance and reputation still limited. There are substantial concerns with the quality of services and the adequacy of regulation. Human resource for health is currently inadequate to support growth in both public and private sectors. The role of the private sector in achieving Vietnam’s population health objectives is not clear. In this emerging economy, there is significant potential for increased dependency on private healthcare to increase health access inequities. This paper discusses how private healthcare could better contribute to healthcare coverage in Vietnam.
Ha NTH, Berman P, Larsen U. Household utilization and expenditure on private and public health services in Vietnam. Health Policy Plan. 2002;17(1):61-67.
Hoan LT, Thu NT, Allebeck P. Self treatment and use of health services among children under 5 years of age in a rural district in vietnam. Int J Child Health Hum Dev. 2009;2(2):169-176.
Ngo AD, Hill PS. The use of reproductive healthcare at commune health stations in a changing health system in Vietnam. BMC Health Serv Res. 2011;11:237. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-11-237
Tran TK, Nguyen CT, Nguyen HD, et al. Urban-rural disparities in antenatal care utilization: a study of two cohorts of pregnant women in Vietnam. BMC Health Ser Res. 2011;11:120.
Drake J. Developing a Total Market Plan for Family Planning in Vietnam. Seattle: PATH; 2011.
Morgan R, Ensor T, Waters H. Performance of private sector health care: implications for universal health coverage. Lancet. 2016;388(10044):606-612. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00343-3
Tuan T, Dung VT, Neu I, Dibley MJ. Comparative quality of private and public health services in rural Vietnam. Health Policy Plan. 2005;20(5):319-327. doi:10.1093/heapol/czi037
Hort K, Tuan KA, Oanh TTM, Thanh TN, Phong NH, Hieu NTM. The growth of non-state-hospitals in Vietnam: Implications for policy and regulatory options. In: Strengthening health systems through evidence in Asia and the Pacific. The Nossal Institute For Global Health; 2011.
Vietnam National Assembly. Law on medical examination and treatment. 40/2009/QH12. Vietnam; 2009.
Top