Vietnam, US boost public-private health cooperation
(VOV) - Over 160 delegates from the Ministry of Health, hospitals, large pharmaceutical companies and the US embassy gathered in Hanoi on December 6 for a seminar to discuss public-private cooperation in health services.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien stated that in the context of international integration and globalisation, Vietnam has been determined to strengthen public-private health cooperation and called on both foreign and domestic businesses, including US enterprises, to invest in the sector.
Minister Tien asked Vietnamese and US representatives to promote public-private cooperation in Vietnam’s healthcare industry and help residents get access to high-quality health services.
The event also offered an opportunity for US businesses to access some of Vietnam’s key policy makers and legal experts in the health sector to open up new opportunities for public-private cooperation in the future, she said.
Currently, waste treatment and hospitals are the only two pilot investment areas within health that operate under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Dr Pham Le Tuan from the Ministry of Health said that Vietnam now has more than 30,000 private medical clinics, and more than 100 private hospitals facilitating nearly 6,000 beds. There is also a further VND100 trillion estimated to be currently invested to meet future demand, he said.