Hanoi (VNA) – More than 236trillion VND (10 billion USD) had been mobilised to directly serve the COVID-19prevention and control as of December 31, 2022, according to a report by aNational Assembly (NA) supervisory delegation.

Results of the NA delegation’ssupervision over the mobilisation, management, and use of resources for the pandemic combat, along with the implementation of policies and laws ongrassroots health care and preventive medicine were discussed at the ongoing 22nd session of the NA Standing Committee on April 11.

Presenting the report, Chairwoman ofthe NA’s Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh, deputy head of thesupervisory delegation, said that of the mobilised sum, over 189 trillion VNDcame from the state budget and the rest, from donation (mainlyvaccines) and sponsorship sources.

More than 15.1 trillion VND wasraised for the COVID-19 vaccine fund. Meanwhile, Vietnam received nearly 160million doses of donated and sponsored vaccines, including almost 150 milliondoses worth about 24 trillion VND donated by other countries’ governments.

Millions of volunteers, especiallyhealth professionals and members of armed forces, directly worked in thefrontline. People of all social strata, enterprises, the Government, andinternational organisations contributed efforts as well as assistance in cashand in kind to the pandemic fight.

The management, use, and payment forresources mobilised for the COVID-19 combat were basically carried out in linewith regulations.

Based on the pandemic situation and demand in reality, donationsand sponsorships were allocated in a timely manner while recipients managed andused the support properly, Anh noted.

Regarding the implementation ofpolicies and laws on grassroots health care and preventive medicine, she saidthe grassroots heath network has expanded across the country. By the end of2022, all districts nationwide had medical centres, and 99.6% of the communal-levellocalities had clinics, with 92.4% of the clinics having doctors.

The report also highlightedimprovements in the quantity and quality of medical personnel, health servicesupply and quality at the grassroots level, as well as people’s satisfaction ofmedical personnel’s performance and service quality.

Pointing out certain problems and shortcomings,the supervisory delegation asked the Government, the Prime Minister, the VietnamFatherland Front Central Committee, and related parties to draft some new laws suchas one on disease prevention or another on the state of emergency, or proposerevisions to existing ones like the ordinance on emergencies and the healthinsurance law.

Italso called for building a master plan on response to emergencies and continuingto implement the solutions issued by the NA and the NA Standing Committee toaddress obstacles to the mobilisation, management, and use of resources for theCOVID-19 fight.

Regarding preventive medicine, thedelegation recommended the grassroots healthcare and preventive medicine systemsbe consolidated, training increased for grassroots health workers, andpolicies promulgated to ensure appropriate salary and allowances for thoseat the grassroots level./.