More than 4.5 million people across the country have benefited from Project 1816, which is providing access to hundreds of doctors and medical workers in hospitals and medical centers in rural provinces and districts.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan presided over a congress held on May 30 by the Ministry of Health, to review Project 1816 for the period 2008-2010.
The project target is to help residents of rural areas to have access to hi-tech medical services and improved examination and treatment facilities in distant regions. It also helps reduce the pressure on central hospitals.
For instance, district Tay Giang is a poor border district of the central province of Quang Nam and has no hospital at all. Tay Giang residents have to ford streams and cross-forests to reach a hospital in the province.
Since the project began, Hospital C in Da Nang province has sent medical workers to transfer techniques and provide equipment and ambulances. Thanks to the project, people in Tay Giang do not need to go far for treatment.
Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Health Examination and Treatment Department under Ministry of Health, said around 9,000 medical workers from large hospitals took turns to train their country counterparts across the country. Central hospital medics have provided examination and treatment to more than 4.5 million patients, conducted over 1,600 operations and saved hundreds of seriously ill people.
Moreover, they organized some 2,000 training and refresher courses for 52,000 district medical workers and transferred techniques to more than 25,000 workers.
Mr. Nhan applauded the ministry’s initiative in implementation of the project, saying that this proved effective in helping the rural regions.
However, the project still had some shortcomings. The district hospitals lacked equipment, testing laboratories and skilled doctors.
Mr. Nhan directed the ministry to have clear targets such as making lists of hospitals’ demands. He emphasized that the sector should build development strategies for the next 10 years as well as transfer techniques along with training of more personnel.
The implementation of project 1816 has contributed towards social and healthcare needs. Through the project, people in disadvantaged areas as well as the poor and ethnic minorities are able to access hi-tech medical services at low costs.
