Vietnamese Spend US$1B on Medical Treatment Abroad Yearly

The Ministry of Health (MoH) estimates nearly 30,000 Vietnamese people go abroad for medical treatment annually, with total spending of more than US$1 billion.

The information was released at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City May 29 with participation of the World Bank’s officials and Vietnamese health experts.

The quality of healthcare services in foreign countries is mostly higher than in Vietnam.

Representatives of the WB’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) attributed the weakness of private health insurance network and shortage of healthcare workers as two main reasons to the trend.

Unclear and inconsistent policies are hindering investment into the Southeast Asian country’s health field, the IFC said.

The number of private and foreign-invested hospitals is likely to rise sharply in the coming years as the Vietnamese government offers more incentives.

Vietnam’s health sector has to date attracted 70 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects totaling US$908 million, the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency said.

Vietnam now has 13,600 state and private-owned hospitals with 172,500 sickbeds.

Tuoitre

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