Last year, Da Nang healthcare sector fulfilled its task of protecting the safety and health of local people, as well as gained significant achievements on the path towards becoming the leading medical research centre in Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands in the future.

Now, let's look at the highlights of Da Nang healthcare sector in 2020.

1. The Covid-19 outbreak was sucessfully contained in Da Nang. The much-hailed result was mainly attributed to the solidarity and concensus of the entire political system in implementing strict but effective pandemic control strategies following Vietnamese Ministry of Health’s guidelines with the city’s drastic motto of contact tracing - isolating- testing - stamping out virus outbreak.

2. The expanded programme on immunisation in the city reached a 97% municipal coverage rate.

3. Eight out of sixteen medical facilities across Da Nang reached level 4 of information technology application.

4. 16/16 laboratories at hospitals under the municipal Department of Health met biosafety level 2, three of which under the city’s first-grade hospitals met biosafety level 4 set by the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for Standardisation and Quality Control in Medical Laboratory.

5. 100% of the Department’s administrative procedures were implemented online at levels 3 and 4.

6. Da Nang continued to carry out a plan to upgrade three district-level medical centres in Son Tra, Lien Chieu and Ngu Hanh Son into the so-called ‘satellite hospitals’ for the Da Nang General Hospital during the 2020-2021 period. The Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital was selected as a ‘nuclear hospital’ which will conduct the transfer of its medical technique, and send its medical staff to the new so-called 'satellite facilities' for professional support.

7. The healthcare sector had a combined total of 183 scientific research works.

8. The healthcare sector was ranked 2^nd among 37 government agencies and units under the municipal People's Committee in the 2019 initiative indicator rankings .

9. Career promotion exams were organised for 349 medical workers.

10. The construction of the Odonto-stomatology Hospital was already completed, whilst the Department of Population and Family Planning and the Quality Control Centre were set up in the city.

By PHAN CHUNG – Translated by M.D