Vietnam Enhances National Healthcare: A Strategic Shift to Preventive Medicine

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has identified "public health" as a cornerstone for national well-being and sustainable development, adopting Resolution No. 72. This resolution marks a significant shift in healthcare focus, moving from a treatment-centric approach to one emphasizing prevention and health promotion. The aim is to build a healthcare system centered on individuals, facilitating early disease detection, continuous health management, and extending healthy life expectancy. In line with this directive, Quang Ninh Province pioneered an annual free health check-up and screening campaign for all residents in 2026. This initiative was launched immediately after the Central Committee's resolution, with the Provincial Party Committee issuing an action plan on October 13, 2025. The Provincial People's Committee then issued a plan to implement free regular health check-ups and screenings for over 1.4 million residents across all beneficiary groups, aiming for early detection of diseases and risk factors, followed by timely consultation and treatment. To improve healthcare access for residents in mountainous and border areas, the province actively organized mobile medical examinations. By July 15, 2026, over 300,000 residents had undergone health check-ups, and more than 931,000 received early disease detection and screening. Furthermore, eligible public and private healthcare facilities have been connected to the electronic health record system, with updates being made to individual electronic health records via the VNeID application, gradually forming unified electronic health profiles for each citizen. These initiatives demonstrate that Resolution No. 72 is being realized, transforming the approach to healthcare from reactive treatment to proactive risk identification and management. Moving forward, regular health check-ups are expected to integrate with screening, counseling, and risk management. Effective utilization of these results will enable primary healthcare to play a crucial role in supporting residents' lifelong health. Similarly, Dong Nai Province is advancing its annual regular health check-ups and free screenings, along with the creation of electronic health records, for its population of over 4.5 million. The Provincial Party Committee has designated nationwide health check-ups as a crucial and regular political task to ensure all citizens have access to healthcare services from the grassroots level. A directive issued on August 30, 2026, urged the acceleration of these processes. As of the current date, more than 2.3 million residents, representing 51.3% of the total population, have received regular health check-ups or free screenings (including those covered by health insurance). Over 536,800 have had their electronic health records created or updated. The Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee has called for continued adherence to the set objectives and timelines, with a review and assessment of actual results to identify areas needing timely support. These early successes indicate a fundamental shift in how public health is approached. When individuals receive regular check-ups, risk screenings, and have their health managed through electronic records, the healthcare system gains a solid basis to transition from reacting to illness to proactively identifying and controlling risks. This also lays the groundwork for primary healthcare to genuinely become the first point of contact for health, remaining close to and accompanying citizens throughout their lives. In the future, to further embed Resolution No. 72 into daily life, regular health check-ups must be enhanced and linked with screening, counseling, and risk factor management. The results of these examinations need to be interconnected, updated, and effectively utilized, preventing a situation where data exists but does not adequately serve healthcare efforts.