In: Asia policy: a peer-reviewed journal devoted to bridging the gap between academic research and policymaking on issues related to the Asia-Pacific, Band 16, Heft 3, S. 105-131
In the last three decades many developing and middle-income nations' health care systems have been financed via out-of-pocket payments by individuals. User fees charges, however, may not be the best approach or thenmost equitable approach to finance and/or reform health services in developing nations. This study investigates the status of Vietnam's current health system as a result of implementing user fees policies. A recent mandate by the government to increase the universal cover to 100% attempts to tackle inadequate insurance cover, one of the four major factors contributing to the high and increasing probability of destitution for Vietnamese patients (the other three being: non-residency, long stay in hospital, and high cost of treatment). Empirical results however suggest that this may be catastrophic for low-income earners: if insurance cover reimbursement decreases below 50% of actual health expenditures, the probability of Vietnamese falling into destitution will rise further. Our findings provide policy implications and directions to improve Vietnam's health care system, in particular by ensuring the utilization of health services and financial protection for the people. ; SCOPUS: ar.j ; info:eu-repo/semantics/published
In the last three decades many developing and middle-income nations' health care systems have been financed via out-of-pocket payments by individuals. User fees charges, however, may not be the best approach or thenmost equitable approach to finance and/or reform health services in developing nations. This study investigates the status of Vietnam's current health system as a result of implementing user fees policies. A recent mandate by the government to increase the universal cover to 100% attempts to tackle inadequate insurance cover, one of the four major factors contributing to the high and increasing probability of destitution for Vietnamese patients (the other three being: non-residency, long stay in hospital, and high cost of treatment). Empirical results however suggest that this may be catastrophic for low-income earners: if insurance cover reimbursement decreases below 50% of actual health expenditures, the probability of Vietnamese falling into destitution will rise further. Our findings provide policy implications and directions to improve Vietnam's health care system, in particular by ensuring the utilization of health services and financial protection for the people.
A study on over 2000 patients has been conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam, to explore the influences of psychological and socio-economic factors on the evaluation of healthcare quality and public health by patients. The findings suggest effective health communication and the status of being married are two elements that have the strongest impact on people's positive perceptions about healthcare quality (βHealthCom = 0.210, βotherMaritalstt = -0.386, p < 0.001). Young unmarried people and the insured tend to be more critical of healthcare quality (βAge = -0.005, p < 0.05; βyesHealthIns = -0.208, p < 0.001). At the same time, a higher BMI and better view of health care quality are linked to negative opinions about community health. These outcomes suggest that in order to maintain collective health as part of social sustainability, the Vietnamese government should pay attention to infrastructure improvement, insurance system reforms, and communication of personal health care knowledge. ; SCOPUS: ar.j ; info:eu-repo/semantics/published
Academic productivity has been studied by scholars all around the world for many years. However, in Vietnam, this topic has thus far been under-researched. This research therefore aims to better understand the correlations between gender, age, research experience, the leading role of corresponding authors and the total numbers of their publications, in the specific realm of social sciences. The study employs a Scopus dataset during 2008-2017, containing publication profiles of 410 Vietnamese researchers. Contrary to a range of previous studies, the results indicate that among accomplished social scientists, males have not been more productive or proficient than females with respect to academic publications (βmale = -0.179, p = 0.60). On the other hand, the proficient skills and broad vision of corresponding authors have proved to exert a rather strong influence on their sheer number of papers (ρ = 0.832). Older age and longer research time also contribute to more success in their academic careers (βage≥50 = 0.950, p<0.05; βresearch time=0.042, p<0.05). ; info:eu-repo/semantics/published
Having geographical proximity and a high volume of trade with China, the first country to record an outbreak of the new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Vietnam was expected to have a high risk of transmission. However, as of 4 April 2020, in comparison to attempts to containing the disease around the world, responses from Vietnam are seen as prompt and effective in protecting the interests of its citizens, with 239 confirmed cases and no fatalities. This study analyzes the situation in terms of Vietnam's policy response, social media and science journalism. A self-made web crawl engine was used to scan and collect official media news related to COVID-19 between the beginning of January and April 4, yielding a comprehensive dataset of 14,952 news items. The findings shed light on how Vietnam—despite being under-resourced—has demonstrated political readiness to combat the emerging pandemic since the earliest days. Timely communication on any developments of the outbreak from the government and the media, combined with up-to-date research on the new virus by the Vietnamese science community, have altogether provided reliable sources of information. By emphasizing the need for immediate and genuine cooperation between government, civil society and private individuals, the case study offers valuable lessons for other nations concerning not only the concurrent fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but also the overall responses to a public health crisis.