Unlocking Educational and Healthcare Excellence: A New Vision by the Politburo.

Free Medical Care Initiative for Vietnamese Citizens

On May 17, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Government Party Committee to discuss and provide feedback on the draft resolutions of the Politburo. The resolutions focus on modernizing and revolutionizing Vietnam’s education and healthcare sectors to meet the demands of a new era.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the two new resolutions do not replace but rather elaborate on previous resolutions by the Central Committee, Politburo, Secretariat, and the Government. They aim to provide more comprehensive and integrated guidance, addressing challenges related to institutions, mechanisms, policies, and resources in the education and healthcare sectors, ultimately fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

He also highlighted the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships in both education and healthcare.

The draft resolution of the Politburo on breakthrough strategies in healthcare aims to outline goals and initiatives, including a roadmap for free medical care for citizens, regular health check-ups, vaccine availability, improved healthcare services, and assured medicine and medical equipment supply.

After discussions, the Prime Minister instructed to finalize the draft resolution, shifting the focus from treatment to proactive healthcare protection and promotion. The guiding principle is to prioritize the care and protection of people’s health, with treatment as a regular and emergent component.

Additionally, the resolution emphasizes implementing a two-tier local government model for healthcare, ensuring equitable access to healthcare, especially in remote, border, and ethnic minority areas. It also focuses on developing preventive medicine, primary healthcare, improving the physical fitness of Vietnamese people, and addressing aging population issues. The resolution aims to outline a roadmap for free medical care for citizens as soon as possible, starting with free medical examinations and treatment for children.

Enhancing the Quality of Education and Training

The proposal for the draft resolution of the Politburo on modernizing and revolutionizing education and training highlights the achievements, challenges, and new era requirements for Vietnam’s education sector.

The resolution’s directions focus on expanding equitable access to education, enhancing the quality of holistic education, reforming vocational training and improving labor skills, modernizing higher education, and developing high-quality human resources and technological talents.

Proposed breakthrough solutions include: transformative governance, unleashing all potential and creativity; innovative financial mechanisms and policies, efficient use of state budget, and enhanced socialization; investment in modernizing educational institutions; and comprehensive digital transformation, including English language proficiency.

Regarding the scope of the resolution, the Prime Minister instructed to clarify that it covers primary, vocational, higher, and post-graduate education, with specific emphasis on each area.

For primary education, solutions should ensure equitable access, especially in remote areas, and outline a roadmap for foreign language proficiency, particularly in English. Cultural, artistic, aesthetic, and physical education should also be included to promote holistic development.

For higher education, the focus should be on quality, scale, and autonomy, with a review and reorganization of the university system. Post-graduate education should concentrate on emerging fields.

The Prime Minister instructed the ministries in charge to incorporate the feedback from the delegates and seek further input from relevant stakeholders. He emphasized the importance of finalizing the proposals and submitting them to the Politburo for review, ensuring both quality and timely delivery.