The Da Nang People's Committee has just issued a plan to develop the rehabilitation system for the 2024-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, following the direction of the Prime Minister. This is the basis and premise for the local health sector to deploy professional activities, aiming to provide better healthcare services for people with disabilities, health problems, or acute or chronic injuries that limit their functional activities.

According to the municipal Department of Health, there are currently about 16,000 people with disabilities in the city, accounting for 1.2% of the population, including 14,000 people with severe disabilities.

Inter-sectoral coordination in rehabilitation in the city is specifically demonstrated through healthcare activities and programmes for people with disabilities; and screening, early detection and intervention of disabilities for children aged 0-6 and community-based rehabilitation.

However, in reality, there are still many difficulties and shortcomings in implementing care and rehabilitation regimes for people with disabilities, because people with disabilities have difficult circumstances, so their access to health services is limited. The number and quality of medical staff specialising in rehabilitation is still lacking, and is not stable and even among all levels. In addition, the awareness of families and the community about disabilities and the importance of early detection and early intervention is not high.

According to Dr. Tran Thanh Thuy, Director of the municipal Department of Health, the development of a rehabilitation plans in the city aims to ensure that people with disabilities and those in need have access to quality, comprehensive and continuous rehabilitation services so that people with disabilities can integrate and participate equally in social activities.

“In the coming time, the local healthcare sector sets a goal of over 90% of children from birth to 6 years old to be screened for early detection and early intervention for disabilities; and over 90% of rehabilitation facilities, including hospitals, medical centres, and departments, to be maintained, consolidated, improved, and invested in for further development. In addition, the rate of medical staff working in the rehabilitation sector must reach at least 0.5 people/10,000 people” said Dr. Thuy.

To meet the care and treatment needs of the people, specialised hospitals are constantly innovating, and deploying many techniques to serve patients. At Da Nang Rehabilitation Hospital, the unit has continuously invested in infrastructure and developed professional techniques.

Dr. Nguyen Van Dung, Director of the Da Nang Rehabilitation Hospital, said that in order to develop expertise, the hopsital has strengthened international cooperation with the Aijinkai Social Medical Group and the Masuda City Medical Association both in Japan. Also, it has worked with domestic universities and hospitals such as the Pham Ngoc Thach University, the Rehabilitation Hospitals of Thua Thien Hue and Ha Tinh provinces, the Mental Hospital, and medical centres at district level.

“In the hospital development strategy in the coming time, the hospital will continue to improve the quality of rehabilitation technical services according to the hospital quality assessment criteria of the Ministry of Health. Clinical departments are arranged with medical facilities and equipment, and human resources, to ensure the provision of comprehensive physical, mental, and social rehabilitation services and deploy at least 80% of the technical list according to the technical expertise classification” said Dr. Dung.

In order to develop a rehabilitation system that meets the needs of patients and creates uniform coordination among levels, the local healthcare sector requires its affiliated units to develop plans and orientations for the development of the rehabilitation field in the future.

According to Dr. Tran Thanh Thuy, the department continues to improve the capacity, quality of training and vocational training of training facilities, as well as encourages private facilities to participate in training human resources for rehabilitation.

The local healthcare sector also gradually invests in necessary medical equipment and supplies, as well as applies science and technology, and specialised areas of rehabilitation, in a separate direction for each type of disease, so as to the needs of the people.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG - Translating by M.DUNG, T.TUNG