Enhancing child healthcare to reduce mortality in children under 5 years old in Vietnam

Enhancing child healthcare to reduce mortality in children under 5 years old in Vietnam

On September 10, 2021, the Prime Minister of Vietnam signed Decision 1493/QD-TTg, issuing an intervention program to reduce mortality in children under 5 years old until 2030. However, to date, not a single province has allocated local budgets to implement Decision 1493 (according to reports from 52 provinces).

To effectively reduce child mortality and decisively implement Decision 1493, the Minister of Health requires healthcare establishments to:

• Establish and operate a "Red Alert" system within hospitals and between hospitals for obstetrics and pediatrics in dealing with emergency cases, neonatal resuscitation, and child emergencies in a timely and effective manner;

• Focus on neonatal asphyxia resuscitation and neonatal resuscitation in the delivery room; if the prognosis exceeds the facility's capabilities, appropriate and timely referral should be made. In cases where referral is unsafe during emergency management, online consultations with higher-level facilities can be conducted for support;

• Widely implement essential care for mothers and newborns during and immediately after regular or cesarean deliveries and Kangaroo mother care, ensuring correct, comprehensive, and effective procedures as per the Ministry of Health's technical guidelines;

• Maintain and regularly strengthen activities and allocate sufficient personnel for neonatal care and treatment according to healthcare levels, ensuring effective operation;

• Healthcare establishments assigned with coordination duties must additionally: Strengthen specialized inspections, supervision, guidance, and technical support transfer to lower levels in neonatal and pediatric care; increase the organization of training courses to update knowledge, enhance skills, and technical competence in neonatal emergency and resuscitation interventions as per the Ministry of Health's standards.

For more details, refer to Directive 05/CT-BYT dated June 26, 2024.

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