Hanoi (VNA)– The Health Ministry has recently released its top ten events of 2016.

1-At 7:20 am onJanuary 22, the first baby born through surrogacy was delivered by Caesareansection at the Hanoi-based Central Maternity Hospital.

Surrogacy was officialallowed in the Law on Marriage and Family adopted by the National Assembly in 2015.  As by now, nearly 200 surrogacy cases havebeen approved, with 30 surrogate mothers having given birth.

Only three hospitalsmeet the technical requirements for surrogacy. They are the Central MaternityHospital in Hanoi, Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue-based Central Hospital.    

2-Hospitals nationwideimplemented synchronous measures for better patients’ satisfaction about theirservices.

The measures, which includedpromoting friendly attitude of staff, building clean and green facilities, andimproving comprehensive management, have brought about positive changes.

3-Vietnam successfullyproduced measles-rubella vaccine

The Centre forResearch and Production of Vaccines and Biology announced on November 8 that domestically-produced measles-rubella vaccine had been clinicallytested and proven safe and effective.

The vaccine was produced under a joint projectwith the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). It will be availablefor the national expanded immunization programme as from 2017.

4-The first robotic laparoscopic surgery was successfully performed on anadult

On December 10, ten adult patients at the Binh Dan Hospital in HCMCity’s District 3 received robotic surgery. The hospital also put intooperation a robotic surgery facility, the second of its kind in Vietnam.

In 2013, the National Hospital of Paediatrics carried out similar surgery forchildren.

5-The health insurance coverage reached 81.3percent of population as of November 30, exceeding the early target by 2.3percent.

6- The Health Ministry moved up 9 places in theministerial-level public administration reform (PAR) index to the 8th out of 19 ministries and ministerial-level agencies.

7-The Prime Minister approved a project ondeveloping grassroots health facility network.

The network covers medical stations at districts,towns, villages, communes, wards and cities under provincial-level. The projectfocuses on boosting human resources as well as overhauling the structure,finance and operation mechanism of these facilities. The work is expected tohelp improve service quality and ease overcrowded conditions at central medicalfacilities.

8-Medical workers’ salaries were calculated ininsurance-covered health services fees.

The move was in line with the roadmap for theadjustment of public service prices as regulated in Decree 16/2015/ND-CP.

As such, the State budget previously used forpaying medical workers is transferred to support people joining healthinsurance.

9-A common code list for health management,treatment and health insurance payment was implemented for the first time.

The list serves data connection among managementagencies, medical establishments and the Vietnam Social Insurance to bettermanage patients’ records and facilitate insurance payment procedures.

10-Vietnam was elected to the World HealthOrganisation’s Executive Board for 2016 – 2019.-VNA