Recently, Resolution 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo "On a number of breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health" was issued.
Our Party's guiding viewpoint is very clear: Health is the most valuable asset of human beings, the most important foundation for everyone's happiness, for the survival of the nation and the prosperous and sustainable development of the country.
In addition, the Resolution also emphasizes the task of developing specialized healthcare to meet practical requirements and international integration; focusing on developing a number of high-quality specialized healthcare centers on par with regional and international standards to attract and develop medical tourism in Vietnam, reducing the trend of people going abroad for medical treatment.
To clarify, Mr. Ha Anh Duc - Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management ( Ministry of Health ), shared with reporters about the issue of developing medical tourism.
Medical tourism brings in huge revenue
- Can you tell us what potential Vietnam has to develop medical tourism?
Mr. Ha Anh Duc: Medical tourism is emerging as a global trend, bringing in large revenues for many countries in the region. With its natural, security and human advantages, Vietnam is considered to have great potential to develop this field. However, to make a breakthrough, the Vietnamese healthcare and tourism sectors need to coordinate closely, overcome limitations in quality, promotion, policies and management mechanisms.
Vietnam has many favorable conditions to become an attractive medical-tourism destination. With a long coastline, many scenic spots, diverse climate, and the image of a safe country and friendly people, Vietnam has left many good impressions in the eyes of international friends.
The number of international tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly in recent years thanks to the open door policy and strong promotion. This is an important source of customers for medical tourism, because international tourists not only seek resort and cultural experiences but also have needs for health care, beauty, dentistry or reproductive support services.
- The rapid increase in the number of international tourists to Vietnam in recent years will create a large source of revenue. Can you analyze more clearly the benefits and revenue from medical tourism?
Mr. Ha Anh Duc: Statistics show that the number of overseas Vietnamese and international visitors coming to Vietnam for tourism and to seek medical services is increasing.
Before COVID-19, the country welcomed about 300,000 visitors, now the number has reached tens of millions and continues to increase. Among these, the proportion of tourists interested in medical services is increasing.
In comparison to the region, Thailand has achieved a revenue of about 6 billion USD/year from medical tourism, Singapore about 1.5-2 billion USD, Japan about 4 billion USD. Meanwhile, Vietnam is currently only at a few hundred million USD - a rather modest number when compared to the available potential.
Competitive price advantage
- In reality, many people choose Vietnam for medical examination and treatment, including many overseas Vietnamese. In your opinion, what advantages does the health sector have to attract medical examination and treatment?
Mr. Ha Anh Duc: In 2024, Vietnam will be on the list of 110 countries with the best health care systems in the world, with a ranking of 89/110 in the overall index. Vietnam has high scores in the index of health infrastructure and the capacity of medical professionals.
A big advantage of Vietnamese healthcare is competitive prices, short waiting times for medical examination and treatment, and friendly, fast service. The price of medical services in Vietnam is only about 30-50% compared to countries like Singapore or Thailand.
Competitive costs are one of the major advantages to attract and develop medical tourism in Vietnam. For example, in the field of dentistry, implanting an implant in Vietnam costs about 1,000-1,200 USD (about 25 to 30 million VND), 1/5 of the US (about 5,000 USD) and much lower than Thailand. In the dental field alone, Ho Chi Minh City earns 3,500 billion VND each year.
With IVF (in vitro fertilization) services, the cost in Vietnam is only 1/3 compared to Thailand and 1/5 compared to the US, while the quality is guaranteed and the implementation time is fast. This is a great advantage to attract customers from developed countries and high-demand regions.
In addition, providing medical services in Vietnam also saves indirect costs due to the quick waiting time for surgery or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), etc., while in other countries, one sometimes has to wait 6 months to do so.
- Those are the advantages of the medical industry that are being promoted to attract international visitors. However, the development of medical tourism still faces many difficulties. Can you elaborate on this?
Mr. Ha Anh Duc: Currently, although Vietnam's medical technology has made great strides and costs are competitive, it has not been standardized according to global standards.
In reality, there is still a major difficulty that the quality of Vietnam's healthcare services has not yet been deeply integrated with the global quality standards. Vietnam has 52,000 clinics, more than 400 private hospitals, 1,600 public hospitals, but so far only one public hospital, the Ho Chi Minh City Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital, and a number of private hospitals have achieved JCI standards. JCI (Joint Commission International) certification - a healthcare quality management system is likened to a "hotel rating" with about 1,300 strict criteria.
In addition, the lack of brand promotion is also a major weakness. Despite having reasonable prices and good technology, international customers are not aware of Vietnamese medical facilities. At the same time, the insurance, finance, visa and dispute resolution mechanisms are still not synchronized, making customers and international insurance companies not really confident when choosing.
Notably, even for regular tourists, the need for an external emergency system is also an important condition for them to feel secure when coming to Vietnam. This is an indispensable supporting factor in the development of medical tourism.
Inter-sectoral coordination is needed
- In your opinion, what solutions does Vietnam have to turn medical tourism into a high-value economic sector?
Mr. Ha Anh Duc: Recently, Resolution 72-NQ/TW issued has set the goal of developing specialized medical centers to reduce the burden on large hospitals, while meeting the demand for high-quality treatment within the country. At the same time, the problem of patients not going to the right hospital also needs to be solved by improving medical coordination and communication.
To improve its position, the health sector is focusing on building key service packages: aesthetics, dentistry, eyes, diagnostic imaging, assisted reproduction (IVF)... These are areas in which Vietnam has strengths, with costs much lower than in developed countries.
These services will be promoted through tourism forums, international travel agencies, combined with insurance payment solutions and interconnected electronic medical records. Not only connected domestically, medical records can also be shared with insurance companies and medical facilities in the host country, ensuring transparency and reducing the risk of disputes.
Along with that, Vietnam will standardize service quality according to international criteria: from facilities, rooms, technical processes, to medical staff trained in foreign languages. These criteria will be made public on information platforms, helping international customers easily access, compare and choose.
Medical tourism is an interdisciplinary field. To be successful, there needs to be close coordination between health, tourism, police, diplomacy, finance, and support from businesses and the community. Therefore, the Ministry of Health has advised that this project be developed at the Government level, instead of just at the Ministry level.
The long-term goal of medical tourism is not only to increase revenue but also to affirm the position of the Vietnamese healthcare industry. When the quality of facilities, expertise, equipment and system management is improved, people will feel secure in receiving treatment in the country, and at the same time, Vietnam can become a prestigious healthcare destination in the region.
Thank you very much./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-co-the-tro-thanh-diem-den-du-lich-y-te-uy-tin-trong-khu-vuc-post1066319.vnp
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