The Ministry of Health has pledged to tackle the issue of inadequate hospital care and service in response to public demands for improvement at a recent meeting in Vientiane.
At the meeting, Health Minister Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith outlined the ministry’s plan to meet the 11 health development indicators endorsed by the National Assembly and discussed the implementation of Phase III of the Health Sector Reform Strategy (2021-2025). The goal of this phase is to provide effective health services to the population, with social protection covering the risks to people’s health. A trained workforce will deliver these services, and get adequately rewarded and compensated for the same.
One major focus of Phase III is to address the inadequate and slow service provided by hospitals, which has led to public dissatisfaction. Citizens have taken to social media to express their concerns and demand improvements.
The government’s aim for the next three years is to achieve universal health coverage and prioritize areas such as human resources for health, health financing, governance, organization and management, health service delivery, hospital management, and human information system.
According to the Vientiane Times, the meeting also covered progress in various healthcare fields, including hygiene and health promotion, maternal and infant mortality reduction, treatment and rehabilitation, and food and drug administration.
Among other aspects, the Ministry has made significant strides in reducing mortality rates in children under five and birthing mothers as well.
