Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the city, Nguyen Phuoc Loc, attended and provided insights at the event.
The city must act immediately to realize its goals
At the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc emphasized that implementing a city-wide health check-up program in 2026 concretizes Resolution No. 72 of the Politburo, dated September 9, 2025, on breakthrough measures to strengthen the protection, care, and enhancement of public health, as well as Action Program No. 08 of the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee for the implementation of Resolution No. 72.
He underlined that this initiative is not merely a professional task of the health sector but represents a “strong political commitment” of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee to the people, aiming to ensure comprehensive and continuous health care throughout the lifecycle.
According to Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc, the health sector has been identified as one of the key pillars shaping urban quality of life, alongside education and the environment. These are core criteria for transforming Ho Chi Minh City into a livable city by 2030, with a vision toward 2045.
Reinforcing directives from the Central Government, including guidance from General Secretary and State President To Lam, Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Phuoc Loc emphasized that the health sector must fundamentally shift its approach from “treatment and care” to “proactive, continuous, and comprehensive health management.” He stressed that citizens should not only seek medical attention when ill; instead, the health system must take the lead, engaging with the population from a stage of well-being.
To fulfill this mandate, primary healthcare serves as the foundation, specialized healthcare as the driving force, digital transformation as the resource, and the healthcare workforce as the pillar. In particular, increased investment in preventive medicine and primary health care is crucial for disease control, especially in the context of epidemics, an aging population, and the rise of non-communicable diseases. In addition, efforts will focus on accelerating digital transformation, expanding electronic health records, and leveraging community engagement to support vulnerable groups.
There is no need to wait for the full approval of the plan before taking action. Immediate steps must be taken to organize health check-up campaigns for residents, aiming for every citizen to undergo at least one health screening annually. The implementation will follow a phased approach, starting with pilot programs, gradually expanding, and aligning with residential areas and primary healthcare models, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc emphasized.
Optimizing resources, avoiding duplication and waste
Earlier, reporting at the workshop, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, stated that the overarching principle of the plan is citizen-centered, with health outcomes as the key measure of success, rather than merely the number of medical examinations conducted. The selection of screening categories is carefully considered, focusing on diseases supported by robust scientific evidence, scalable for large-scale implementation, and ensuring continuity of treatment. Priority is given to high-burden conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis, as these are health issues rapidly increasing in urban areas.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung, the breakthrough of the plan lies in establishing a comprehensive national health data system based on the principle of “one citizen – one identifier – one health record – one service history.” The operational model follows a public–private integrated approach, allowing citizens to access services at multiple facilities while ensuring unified management of entitlements and data. This approach enhances transparency and optimizes healthcare resources, preventing duplication and waste.
In addition, the city will establish a municipal coordination center, serving as the technological hub responsible for data management, overseeing medical examination activities, and monitoring quality across the entire system.
The plan targets all residents, students, and workers in Ho Chi Minh City, with priority given to vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the poor, persons with disabilities, workers, individuals with chronic illnesses, and other high-risk populations, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung stated.
At the same time, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung noted that the city’s health sector will immediately implement large-scale screening for high-risk conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cervical cancer. Priority will be given to target groups, and campaign-based initiatives will be rolled out for diseases including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, tuberculosis, and hepatitis B and C.
To finalize the plan, the city’s health sector has proposed that city leaders approve the development and submission to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council of a specialized plan or resolution on the financial mechanism for regular health check-ups, risk screening, and priority disease screening. It also recommends that the Department of Finance coordinate in designing a payment mechanism applicable across the entire service network, including both public and private facilities, based on electronic data to avoid fragmented funding and create incentives for mobilizing social resources.
