Decentralized Health Care Program 2011

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In Vietnam, the population in rural and remote regions has inadequate access to adequate healthcare. Bilateral cooperation in the health sector is therefore focused on improving decentralized healthcare in five provinces. As part of this, a telemedicine network is to be established between the Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi - a specialist surgical clinic - and two program provinces. The Viet Duc Hospital is to be connected to a provincial hospital and this in turn is to be connected to a regional and district hospital. This will enable the required specialist expertise to be made available from the reference level to the subordinate care facilities without the need for appropriate staff there. The aim of the FC measure is The provincial, regional and district hospitals involved in the telemedicine network in the provinces of Than Hoa & Yen Bai have expanded their range of services in line with needs at their respective care levels and offer them with assured quality; this is used by the population. The funding includes in particular the technical equipment required for the various areas of application of telemedicine. This includes both direct patient care (e.g. tele-examination, tele-consultation, tele-radiology) and further training of medical staff (tele-training). By introducing telemedicine, the FC measure makes an important contribution to improving access to needs-based, quality-assured and efficient health care in the development cooperation program provinces. It thereby contributes to improving the health situation of the poor and disadvantaged population living there and thus represents a development-policy-wise useful addition to the ongoing development cooperation commitment. The FC measure is being implemented as a pilot to prepare the nationwide introduction of telemedicine in Vietnam. If implemented successfully, it can make an important and cost-effective contribution to the universal health coverage to which Vietnam has committed itself. The total cost of the FC measure is estimated at EUR 8.65 million. An FC loan of EUR 7 million is planned for financing. The planned term of the measure is 4 years.