Overcoming difficulties to take care of people's health

After the administrative unit merger, many highland communes in Thai Nguyen province faced many difficulties in providing health care for the people. However, with flexible solutions, some localities have proactively overcome the difficulties to serve the people better and better.

People are consulted, examined and treated at Nghien Loan Commune Health Station.

For example, Nghien Loan commune, one of the new highland communes, was established on the basis of merging the entire area and population of three communes: Xuan La, An Thang and the old Nghien Loan. After the merger, the commune has a natural area of over 130km2, a population of over 11,000 people, with many households living nearly 20km from the commune center.

Faced with that reality, the commune has proactively reviewed and strengthened the grassroots health station system, rationally arranged the stations, ensuring that people in remote villages and hamlets receive timely and adequate primary health care.

Ms. La Dieu Thuan, Head of Nghien Loan Commune Health Station, shared: To ensure health care for people after the merger, we still maintain the same human resources and facilities at the health stations of the old localities. At the same time, we review and adjust the work assignment plan to maximize the effectiveness of each medical staff at the stations.

In addition, the Commune Health Station has developed a health care plan suitable to the new situation, increasing mobile medical examination and treatment activities in villages and hamlets far from the center to ensure people have convenient access to medical services.

Vinh Thong Commune - a locality established after the merger of three highland communes Sy Binh, Vu Muon and Cao Son, has an area of about 110km2 after the merger with a population of about 6,500 people. To conform to the two-level local government model, medical stations have also been rearranged in a streamlined and efficient manner.

Accordingly, the stations are arranged with appropriate human resources and equipment according to the principle of not causing major disruption to medical examination and treatment activities, ensuring effective maintenance, helping all people access basic medical services right at their place of residence.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Head of Vinh Thong Commune Health Station, said: Health care for people at Cao Son, Vu Muon, and Sy Binh health stations is still maintained regularly, including medical examination and treatment and disease prevention. Thanks to that, people come to see a doctor and get treatment conveniently, and there are no complaints about the health care work in the area.

Examination and treatment for the elderly at Sy Binh Medical Station, Vinh Thong commune.

According to information from the Thai Nguyen Provincial Health Department, currently, medical facilities in the area are basically still maintained, with no changes in human resources or locations for medical examination and treatment. Of which, for 37 communes in the Northern region, 108 medical stations of the communes before the merger are still operating normally. These points continue to maintain medical examination, treatment and disease prevention, especially during expanded vaccination campaigns or seasonal epidemic prevention, contributing to creating maximum convenience and satisfaction for the people.

Ms. Hoang Thi Mai in Ban Cuon, Cho Don commune, shared: After the merger, Cho Don commune still examines patients as before, because the insurance card is still used as before, unchanged. The examination location is still at the same place, only when we are seriously ill do we have to go to the provincial hospital.

Along with ensuring the grassroots health system, the Thai Nguyen health sector also focuses on arranging and mobilizing appropriate staff, investing in additional essential equipment for highland health stations, in order to improve the quality of initial medical examination and treatment for people in difficult areas.

Mr. Dinh Manh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Health of Thai Nguyen province, said: Currently, medical stations in the northern part of the province are facing many difficulties due to the fragmented terrain, sparse population, and people having to travel far to get medical treatment. Therefore, we still maintain the medical stations as before to create the most favorable conditions for people. However, some stations have degraded or have not been renovated or repaired. We will consider investing in repairing and upgrading facilities to better meet the health care needs of the people.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/y-te/202508/vuot-kho-cham-lo-suc-khoe-cho-nhan-dan-a4f3171/