Health Financing and Delivery in Vietnam (Looking Forward)

Vietnam’s successes in the health sector are remarkable. Between 2000 and 2005, Vietnam achieved reductions in mortality rates for all ages, while some of its neighbors saw little change or even increases. To date, its infant and under-five mortality rates are comparable to those of countries with substantially higher per capita incomes. According to the data assembled in 'Health Financing and Delivery in Vietnam', the country continues to perform strongly in the sector, but its health care system is facing new challenges, as do those of other countries. By international standards, for example, a large percentage of Vietnamese households make out-of-pocket health care payments that exceed a reasonable fraction of their income. The country has been expanding the breadth of health insurance coverage, but questions remain on how to further expand coverage, how to decrease health care costs, and how to increase the overall quality of care. 'Health Financing and Delivery in Vietnam' reviews the country’s successes and the challenges it faces, and suggests some options for further reforming the country’s health system. These include the issue of stewardship—what different parts of government (for example, the Health Ministry and the health insurer) should be doing at each level of government, and what different levels of government (for example, the central government and the provincial government) ought to be doing. 'Health Financing and Delivery in Vietnam' will be of interest to readers working in the areas of public health and social analysis and policy.