Health Services In Vietnam Research Articles

Understanding the barriers to integrating maternal and mental health at primary health care in Vietnam.

The prevalence of common perinatal mental disorders in Vietnam ranges from 16.9% to 39.9%, and substantial treatment gaps have been identified at all levels. This paper explores constraints to the integration of maternal and mental health services at the primary healthcare level and the implications for the health system's responsiveness to the needs and expectations of pregnant women with mental health conditions in Vietnam. As part of the RESPONSE project, a three-phase realist evaluation study, we present Phase 1 findings, which employed systematic and scoping literature reviews and qualitative data collection (focus groups and interviews) with key health system actors in Bac Giang province, Vietnam, to understand the barriers to maternal mental healthcare provision, utilization and integration strategies. A four-level framing of the barriers to integrating perinatal mental health services in Vietnam was used in reporting findings, which comprised individual, sociocultural, organizational and structural levels. At the sociocultural and structural levels, these barriers included cultural beliefs about the holistic notion of physical and mental health, stigma towards mental health, biomedical approach to healthcare services, absence of comprehensive mental health policy and a lack of mental health workforce. At the organizational level, there was an absence of clinical guidelines on the integration of mental health in routine antenatal visits, a shortage of staff and poor health facilities. Finally, at the provider level, a lack of knowledge and training on mental health was identified. The integration of mental health into routine antenatal visits at the primary care level has the potential help to reduce stigma towards mental health and improve health system responsiveness by providing services closer to the local level, offering prompt attention, better choice of services and better communication while ensuring privacy and confidentiality of services. This can improve the demand for mental health services and help reduce the delay of care-seeking.

Stakeholder engagement to develop a directory of COVID-19 related mental health services in Vietnam: reflections on a participatory approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise of mental health issues amongst Vietnamese communities in Vietnam and the diaspora. However, there were few resources and no directory of services available for people seeking mental health support in Vietnam. In response to this need, we initiated an engagement project to improve Vietnamese communities' access to mental health support. This project aimed to involve stakeholders in the development of a directory of resources in order to ensure that it met local needs. The phases of development included: (1) reviewing desk research findings; (2) reviewing the list of mental health support services that we could find; (3) verifying the first draft of the directory; (4) helping disseminate the directory; and (5) updating the directory. In February 2022 the first edition of the mental health directory for Vietnamese and foreigners living in Vietnam was published. In this paper we describe the iterative approach taken to developing a resource that would have maximum utility for the target communities. We describe the process of partnering with people with lived experience, community members and expert stakeholders in this process, and reflect on how this strengthened the outcomes in terms of the relevance of the output, the research uptake and the access for the wider community. We believe that it is important to publish examples of community engagement projects in order to demonstrate good practise and promote increased involvement of communities in research.

Preference and willingness to pay for reproductive health services among adults in Urban–Rural transition settings of a developing country: evidence from a cross-sectional study in a rural district of Hanoi, Vietnam

BackgroundSince the introduction of fee-for-service models in public hospitals and the legalization of private health services in Vietnam in 1989, the price of reproductive health services has risen. These changes have exacerbated inequities in accessing reproductive health services. This study examines potential disparities in willingness to pay for reproductive health services among adults in a rural district of Hanoi.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at 9 communes in Thanh Oai district, a rural district of Hanoi, Vietnam, in July 2019. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire to collect self-reported data. The contingent valuation was used to examine willingness to pay for reproductive health services with a starting price of 2 million VND (~ US$86.2, July 2019 exchange rate), which is the average price of all RHS in public facilities in Vietnam. Multiple Logistic regression and Multiple Interval regression models were used to identify factors associated with willingness to pay and the amount that people were willing to pay for reproductive health services.ResultsAmong 883 participants, this study found 59.1% of them willing to pay for reproductive health services at an average maximum amount of US$36.2, significantly less than the current average price of US$86.2. Occupation, number of sex partners, perception towards the necessity of reproductive health services, and prior use of reproductive health services were found to significantly influence willingness to pay for reproductive health services, while age, income level, gender, occupation, perception towards the necessity of reproductive health services and prior use of reproductive health services were reportedly correlated with the amount participants were willing to pay for reproductive health services.ConclusionLower willingness to pay for reproductive health services compared to the current prices (US$36.2 vs. US$86.2) is likely related to an overall low awareness of the necessity of reproductive health services, and future education campaigns should specifically target those from lower-income backgrounds. Financial subsidization should also be provided, especially for those from the low-income group, to ensure equitable access to reproductive health services. Given the heterogeneity of reproductive health services, further studies should examine the willingness to pay for each type of service independently.

Contribution of private health services to universal health coverage in low and middle-income countries: Factors affecting the use of private over public health services in Vietnam.

The private sector's contribution to Universal health coverage (UHC) has been increasingly recognised by policymakers in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify service-provider and consumer-level factors affecting choice of private over public health services in Vietnam. A concurrent mixed-method design was adopted. A quantitative phase explored consumers' health service choice by analysing data from a random national sample of 10,354 individuals aged 16 and over. The qualitative phase investigated how private and public providers organise their services to influence consumer choices by conducting interviews with policymakers, hospital and clinic managers, and health practitioners. The combined results demonstrate that at the individual level, absence of any type of health insurance was the factor most closely associated with the use of private services. Private health services were more likely to be used by people from ethnic majority groups compared to ethnic minorities (odds ratio [OR]: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.4-2.0), and by people living in urban compared to rural areas (OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0-1.3). The service providers suggested that consumers opted for private services that were perceived to have poorer quality in the public sector, such as counselling, physical therapy and rehabilitative care. Additional motivational factors include the private sector's more flexible working hours, shorter waiting times, flexible pricing of services, personalised care and better staff behaviour. The findings can inform national health system planning and coordination activities in Vietnam and other countries that aim to harness the attributes of both the public and private sectors to achieve UHC.

Achieving Universal Health Coverage as a Goal of Vietnam’s Socio-Economic Development

Aim.The presented study aims to analyze and identify the “bottlenecks” Vietnam may face on the way to achieving the goal of universal health coverage of the country’s population.Tasks.The authors analyze the situation regarding the implementation of sustainable development goals in terms of ensuring the availability of health services; assess the situation regarding the availability of health services in Vietnam; assess the potential of health insurance to achieve universal health coverage as a goal of Vietnam’s socio-economic development.Methods.This study uses statistical, empirical, and comparative analysis.Results.Achieving the goal of universal health coverage in the country requires more than just financing health care. It reflects the importance of ensuring equal access to quality health services and enforcing the right to health, especially for vulnerable groups. The authors analyze population coverage, the organization of the financing system, and the cost of medical care for households. Funding for health programs in Vietnam is increasing. However, due to the enduring poverty in the country, households spending a large share of their own funds on health services, and the number of challenges associated with the COVID-19 new coronavirus pandemic, there is still a risk of not achieving the goal of universal coverage in the near term.Conclusions.To achieve the set goal, Vietnam needs to introduce effective mechanisms of compulsory and voluntary health insurance (VHI). This additional financial protection is seen as a way to enable more people to use the necessary services without the risk of catastrophic health care costs, thus effectively approaching the goal of universal health coverage for the citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV).

Is Health Insurance Associated with Health Service Utilization and Economic Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases on Households in Vietnam?

ABSTRACT The rising burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in developing countries has caused high out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending leading to many households suffering Catastrophic Health Expenditure (CHE). This study examined the association between health insurance (HI) on health-care utilization and the burden of OOP expenditure among people with reported NCDs and on their households in Vietnam. The study draws on a cross-sectional household survey of accessibility and utilization of health services in Vietnam. Data were obtained from three provinces to represent urban, rural and mountainous areas of the country. The study used a sample of 2,038 individuals with reported NCD aged over 18 years from 1,642 households having at least one person with reported NCD. The results show that people with reported NCD who had HI were twice as likely to use outpatient care compared with those without HI. Having more than one member with reported NCD resulted in double the odds of a household suffering CHE. Households in the three lowest wealth quintiles were more likely to encounter CHE and financial distress than economically better-off households. HI did not provide a protective effect to households, as there was no significant association between the HI status of household members with reported NCD and CHE or financial distress. Seeking care at higher-level facilities was significantly associated with CHE. This study highlights the need for evidence to design future HI-based interventions targeting susceptible populations to narrow the gaps in health service utilization among the population and mitigate financial catastrophe associated with NCDs. Abbreviations: NCD: Noncommunicable diseases; UHC: Universal Health Coverage; HI: Health insurance; CHE: Catastrophic health expenditure; OOP: Out of Pocket

The Association Between Gender Inequalities and Women's Utilization of Maternal Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Eight South Central Coast Provinces, Vietnam

Gender inequalities influence the utilization of maternal health services in Vietnam, but little research has been published. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the association between gender inequalities and women's utilization of maternal health services in Vietnam. The study was conducted in 8 provinces in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam during August 2013 to May 2014. A total of 907 women who delivered a year prior to the date of interview participated in the study. A multiple logistic regression model was used to examine the association between gender inequalities (including sociodemographic determinants of health) and utilization of 4 or more antenatal care (ANC4+) services, institutional delivery, and ever used contraceptive methods. The utilization rate of maternal health services was varied, from 53.9% for ANC4+ to 87.7% for ever used a contraceptive method and 97% for institutional delivery. Ethnicity was identified as the most influential variable out of all sociodemographic determinants of health. Regarding gender inequalities, couple communication was the only variable having significant association with women's utilization of maternal health services. Women's equal role within context of their daily life and relations with their husbands (discussing maternal care with husband and having equal income to husband) supported their use of maternal health services. Therefore, there should be concerted efforts from all relevant stakeholders including the health system to focus on disadvantaged women in planning and delivery of maternal health services, especially to ethnic minority women. Male involvement strategy should be implemented to promote maternal health care, especially during the prenatal and postpartum period. To provide more culturally sensitive and right-based approaches in delivery of maternal health services to disadvantaged women in Vietnam, interventions are recommended that promote male involvement, that is, to engage men in service delivery to adapt and ensure the most appropriate and effective maternal health care.

"Three Nooses on Our Head": The Influence of District Health Reforms on Maternal Health Service Delivery in Vietnam.

Background: The impact of reorganisation on health services delivery is a recurring issue in every healthcare system. In 2005 Vietnam reorganised the delivery of health services at the district level by splitting preventive, curative, and administrative roles. This qualitative study explored how these reforms impacted on the organisation of maternal health service delivery at district and commune levels. Methods: Forty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with health staff and managers involved in the provision of maternal health services from the commune to the central level within five districts of two Northern provinces in Vietnam. The data were analysed thematically. Results: The results showed that 10 years after the reforms created three district-level entities, participants reported difficulties in management of health services at the district and commune levels in Vietnam. The reforms were largely perceived to negatively affect the efficient and effective use of clinical and other resources. At the commune level, the reforms are said to have affected the quality of supervision of the communes and their staff and increased the workload in community health centres. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that the current organisation of district health services in Vietnam may have had unintended negative consequences. It also indicates that countries which decide to reform their systems in a manner similar to Vietnam need to pay attention to coordination between a multiplicity of agencies at the district level.

Youth experiences in accessing sexual healthcare services in Vietnam

Poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes among youth are reflective of the many barriers members of this group face in accessing health services. This study provides an in-depth account of the unique challenges that young people face in accessing sexual healthcare services in Vietnam. We surveyed 130 men and women aged 18–24 years at two major reproductive health sites in Ho Chi Minh City. We identified and explored seven domains: health insurance status, modern contraception use, HIV/STI testing, cervical cancer screening, unintended pregnancy, reproductive coercion and the patient-provider relationship. Attitudes towards the national health insurance system suggest that it does not facilitate access to healthcare. Despite widespread and affordable services, fears, fallacies and fixed social mores created formidable barriers for unmarried youth to access sexual and reproductive health services in Vietnam.

Deconstructing ‘barriers’ to access: Minority ethnic women and medicalised maternal health services in Vietnam

Low maternal health service utilisation amongst minority ethnic women in Vietnam is often attributed to ‘traditional customs’. Drawing on secondary data and original, qualitative research amongst Hmong and Thai communities, this paper analyses minority behaviour related to childbirth. The informed selectivity in service attendance identified can be considered, in part, a rejection of current medicalised approaches at health facilities, where supine delivery is compulsory and family members are prohibited from attending women in labour. The paper reveals how conventional analyses of barriers to minority maternal health service utilisation inhibit scrutiny of the ways services fail to engage with or accommodate local preferences. Participatory identification of mutually acceptable delivery methods by maternal health staff and local women is recommended to enable the development of culturally inclusive services.

A global partnership to improve nutrition medicine in Vietnam

BackgroundAlthough the nutrition status in Vietnam has improved dramatically this past decade, malnutrition is still prevalent and studies in the hospital setting are lacking. The Vietnamese government recently urged hospitals to start addressing nutrition.ObjectiveTo create a partnership between Boston University (BU), Bach Mai Hospital (BMH), the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), and the Hanoi Medical University (HMU) to improve patient outcomes and health services in Vietnam.InterventionAfter an in‐depth assessment, the AFINS partners have developed a hospital‐centered integrative model of nutrition medicine.ResultsWe found that the rate of acute undernutrition in a general hospital ranges between 30–45% based on age while overnutrition is rare. With support from AFINS partners, the academic and hospital leadership is creating new training opportunities and systems applicable to the Vietnamese context.ConclusionsUsing government guidelines and feedback, AFINS partners plan to develop strategies to further evaluate, sustain, and disseminate this model. Support from the Abbott Fund.

How important are individual, household and commune characteristics in explaining utilization of maternal health services in Vietnam?

Using Vietnam's latest National Household Survey data for 2001–2002 this paper assesses the influence of individual, household and commune-level characteristics on a woman's decision to seek prenatal care, on the number of prenatal visits, and on the choice between giving birth at a health facility or at home. The decision to use any care and the number of prenatal visits is modeled using a two-part model. A random intercept logistic model is used to capture the influence of unobserved commune-specific factors found in the data regarding a woman's decision to give birth at a health facility rather than at home. The results show that access to prenatal care and delivery assistance is limited by observed barriers such as low income, low education, ethnicity, geographical isolation and a high poverty rate in the community. More specifically, more prenatal visits increase the likelihood of giving birth at a health facility. Having compulsory health insurance increases the odds of giving birth at a health facility for middle and high income women. In contrast, health insurance for the poor increases the likelihood of having more prenatal visits but has little effect on the place of delivery. These results suggest that the existing safe motherhood programs should be linked with the objectives of social development programs such as poverty reduction, and that policy makers need to view both the individual and the commune as appropriate units for policy targeting.

Quality of Private Health Services in Vietnam

Objective: To analyze the quality of private health services in Bac Giang City, Vietnam. Method: All private health care providers were assessed for quality of care through site visits and interviews. Structure including equipment and staffing was assessed through interview with the facility manager and competence of private health providers was investigated through interviews of staff using vignettes on cases with tracer conditions for acute and chronic disease. Patient exit interviews were performed to assess patient satisfaction with services. In addition, staff in public Commune Health Centers was interviewed with vignettes to allow for comparison of skills with private providers. Results: 50 private medicine facilities were included in the study. The facilities were small in scope, mainly out-patient clinics. They were mostly operated by a single physician (66%), or small group of physicians. Services were mainly regular examination and treatment (76%) with common health problems. Only 20% offered more advanced services like ECG and X-Ray. Most private allopathic medicine providers had basic equipment for examining patients but little equipment for basic surgery and testing. Around half (55%) had sterilizing instrument. In patient interviews stated reasons for seeking private care were good attitude of staff (72%), proximity to home (69%), perceived competence of physician (63%) and time-saving (58%). Mean score of overall client satisfaction was 3.9 on a scale of 1-5. Knowledge on recognizing symptoms and handling cases of was low both in private and public facilities. Conclusion: Most private providers at urban district level are limited in size, staffing, service provision and patient load. Their services are usually appreciated by clients. However, their skills appear to be less than optimal, though not significantly lower than those of public sector staff.

Household utilization and expenditure on private and public health services in Vietnam

The private provision of health services in Vietnam was legalized in 1989 as one of the country's means to mobilize resources and improve efficiency in the health system. Ten years after its legalization, the private sector has widely expanded its activities and become an important provider of health services for the Vietnamese people. However, little is known about its contribution to the overall objectives of the health system in Vietnam. This paper assesses the role of the private health care provider by examining utilization patterns and financial burden for households of private, as compared with public, services. We found that the private sector provided 60% of all outpatient contacts in Vietnam. There was no difference by education, sex or place of residence in the use of private ambulatory health care. Although there was evidence suggesting that rich people use private care more than the poor, this finding was not consistent across all income groups. The private sector served young children in particular. Also, people in households with several sick members at the same time relied more on private than public care, while those with severe illnesses tended to use less private care than public. The financial burden for households from private health care services was roughly a half of that imposed by the public providers. Expenditure on drugs accounted for a substantial percentage of household expenditure in general and health care expenditure in particular. These findings call for a prompt recognition of the private sector as a key player in Vietnam's health system. Health system policies should mobilize positive private sector contributions to health system goals where possible and reduce the negative effects of private provision development.

Improving reproductive health services in Vietnam

Improving reproductive health services in Vietnam

Integration of primary health care concepts in a children's hospital with limited resources

SummaryAfter nearly 30 years of war, health services in Vietnam were devastated. Pediatric Hospital Number 1 (PH1) in Ho Chi Minh City was severely overloaded, mortality rates for readily treatable diseases were high, and staff competence and motivation were low. In 1988, PH1 introduced primary health care (PHC) concepts into the policy of the hospital. The approach included identification of priority diseases that are most easily treatable (diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, Dengue haemorrhagic fever, malnutrition, and common paediatric emergencies including malaria); establishment of training programmes through paediatric priority training units for medical staff of PH1 and health centres (district and commune services), and health education for the patients' carers; promotion of outpatient treatment to avoid unnecessary admissions; use of appropriate technology such as essential drugs and application of WHO guidelines; support for health centres; transfer of responsibility for decision-making from one central authority to each department; and community participation, by which we sought small contributions from families who could afford to pay. Since the new approach was implemented, the numbers of admissions have fallen substantially. Mortality rates have decreased greatly (diarrhoea by 80%, Dengue fever by 64%, and acute respiratory infections by 41%). Support from foreign non-governmental organisations has enabled training and research to enhance staff skill and knowledge and supply of necessary equipment. Fund mobilisation from patients is unlikely to be substantial in developing countries, but budget should not be regarded as the sole factor that affects mortality rates. Better use of the limited resources available has enabled us to achieve our objective of decreasing the hospital mortality rates.

Health services in Vietnam.

This paper reviews the existing health services in Vietnam against the background of 50 years of wars with Japan, France, the United States and neighbouring countries, leaving a devastated economy and thousands of war-wounded, prostitutes, drug addicts and orphans. Defoliation has affected soil fertility and caused miscarriages, stillbirths and deformities. Unexploded bombs still blow off peasants' legs. The prevalence of malaria is increased by the many bomb craters where mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Superstitions in some ethnic groups contribute to childhood malnutrition. A system is being developed of large provincial hospitals, 100-bed district hospitals and village clinics, incorporating traditional medicine. These are well staffed but poorly equipped. Modern medical and surgical equipment and medicines are urgently needed, but will have to be provided by humanitarian aid until trade links are restored.

The Organization of Health Services in Vietnam

The Organization of Health Services in Vietnam