Final part: Building a sustainable healthcare ecosystem

In response to the rising demand for healthcare services, Dong Nai City is implementing a strategy to build a comprehensive, modern, and sustainable healthcare ecosystem.

Doctors and nurses at Thong Nhat General Hospital examine a patient. Photo: Hanh Dung

With a people-centered approach, Dong Nai’s healthcare sector is undergoing a comprehensive transformation, from strengthening grassroots healthcare to advancing specialized services and high-tech applications, with the goal of becoming a model for universal healthcare.

Fortifying the "stronghold" of grassroots healthcare and modernizing specialist treatment

One of the city’s leading healthcare priorities is to strengthen the preventive and grassroots healthcare network, which is closest to the people and serves as the frontline in safeguarding public health. This is not only a professional responsibility but also a practical step toward implementing the Politburo’s Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW, dated September 9, 2025, on several breakthrough solutions to enhance the protection and improvement of people's health (referred to as Resolution No. 72).

Specialist Level II Doctor Do Thi Nguyen, Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health, affirmed, “The implementation of Politburo’s Resolution No. 72, along with the development guidelines and policies of the Dong Nai City Party Committee and People’s Committee, is not a short-term campaign but a comprehensive transformation process requiring coordinated efforts from all levels, sectors, and society as a whole.

To achieve this goal, the Department of Health is advising on the formulation of policies to support and attract healthcare personnel to Dong Nai for the 2026–2030 period. At the same time, it is developing a Family Doctor model at commune and ward health stations to manage public health more effectively.

Alongside fortifying the foundation, Dong Nai is accelerating the development of a modern healthcare system, aiming to have at least three hospitals meeting specialized standards across the city by 2030, while also establishing nursing homes and healthcare centers for the elderly. In particular, the city plans to establish specialized centers such as otolaryngology, 115 emergency services, cardiology, oncology, stroke treatment, obstetrics and pediatrics, and nephrology-urology.

Dong Nai is also promoting multi-dimensional cooperation and strengthening links with central-level healthcare facilities in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City to enhance the diagnostic and treatment capacity of doctors and medical staff. Notably, the project to establish a branch of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City is being accelerated in Dong Nai to proactively secure healthcare human resources for the city and neighboring localities. In addition, the project on the National Medicinal Plant Conservation and Development Garden in the Southeast region, located within the Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve, is also included in the city’s implementation plan.

Another notable point is that Dong Nai’s healthcare sector has determined that from 2026, it will coordinate activities for periodic health check-ups, free health screening, and health monitoring for residents, as well as occupational health examinations and regular health check-ups for workers in accordance with regulations.

Do Thi Nguyen, Director of the Department of Health, said that the healthcare sector is also developing a roadmap for implementing free healthcare services, prioritizing social policy beneficiaries, vulnerable groups, and low-income people within the scope of health insurance coverage.

Attracting socialized resources and vision towards 2050

To mobilize social resources for public healthcare, Dong Nai is encouraging investment from all economic sectors. Large-scale hospital projects and modern specialized medical facilities will be prioritized in key areas such as Long Thanh Airport City and the urban areas of Nhon Trach, Bien Hoa, and Dong Xoai. This development strategy will not only serve local residents but also capitalize on the advantages of an industrial city to attract patients from neighboring localities, contributing to the formation of a high-quality regional healthcare hub.

Alongside the development of grassroots, preventive, and specialized healthcare, Dong Nai healthcare sector has identified digital transformation as a breakthrough and a key driver of smart healthcare. To date, 100 percent of health insurance-covered medical examination and treatment facilities in the city have implemented registration using chip-based citizen identification cards. In addition, 100 percent of public hospitals and regional health centers with inpatient services have adopted electronic medical records, while more than 1.2 million electronic health records have been integrated into the VNeID application.

In addition, several hospitals and medical facilities, including Dong Nai General Hospital, Thong Nhat General Hospital, University Medical Shing Mark Hospital, and Ai Nghia Medical System Joint Stock Company, are gradually applying artificial intelligence in diagnostic imaging, cancer screening, and echocardiography, contributing to improving the quality of diagnosis and treatment.

Specialist Level II Doctor Le Quang Trung, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health, said, “In the coming period, the healthcare sector will step up the application of artificial intelligence in disease diagnosis and screening, develop remote medical examination and treatment systems, and build a comprehensive digital healthcare ecosystem based on three main pillars: high-quality human resources, synchronized infrastructure, and modern equipment. This is the foundation for a comprehensive digital healthcare ecosystem, helping to optimize resources and improve the patient experience."

Highly appreciating the achievements and strategic direction of the Dong Nai healthcare sector, Do Xuan Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Health, emphasized that with strong political determination, correct orientation, and the consensus of the entire political system, Dong Nai can make a breakthrough and become a leading locality in implementing universal healthcare. When this goal is achieved, Resolution No. 72 will not only remain a major policy but also will truly serve as the foundation for a modern and humane healthcare system – a place where every citizen is cared for and protected in a comprehensive manner.

According to Do Xuan Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Health, at the closing session of the 1st session of the 16th National Assembly on April 24, the Resolution on the five-year socio-economic development plan (2026–2030) was officially adopted. Under the resolution, the healthcare sector is identified as one of the key pillars for ensuring social progress and equity. The National Assembly set targets for 2030, including achieving a ratio of 19 doctors per 10,000 people, ensuring that 100 percent of the population receives annual periodic health check-ups, and attaining universal health insurance coverage to guarantee financial protection for all citizens against health-related risks.

.These are strategic measures that clearly demonstrate the spirit of "institutional breakthrough" in transforming the healthcare model from "treatment" to "comprehensive health care and protection," thereby directly aiming at the goal of "elevating social security." Through the effective and synchronized implementation of Politburo Resolution No. 72, the Dong Nai healthcare sector is expected to generate substantive changes, improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, better meet people’s healthcare needs, and contribute to consolidating the foundation of social security in a sustainable direction.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 71st anniversary of Vietnam Doctors’ Day (February 27, 1955–2026), Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee (now Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai City Party Committee), called on the Dong Nai healthcare sector to continue improving the grassroots healthcare model in a streamlined, effective, and sustainable manner. At the same time, the sector should increase investment in human resources and facilities, and enhance professional capacity to uphold the role of the "gatekeeper" of the healthcare system. In parallel, it should accelerate digital transformation with a focus on completing electronic health records and electronic medical records systems, implementing remote medical examination and treatment, and cashless payments. The goal is to manage public health continuously, improve service quality, and gradually build a smart, modern healthcare system that better meets people's healthcare needs.

By Hanh Dung – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha