Through political determination and approaches tailored to local realities, Điện Biên has revamped its mindset from “curing illness” to “proactive prevention”; regarding grassroots healthcare as the foundation and specialized healthcare as the breakthrough; simultaneously bringing healthcare services closer to the people and elevating local on-site treatment capacity - moving toward the goal of providing quality, equitable, and sustainable healthcare for all citizens.

Part 1: Bringing healthcare closer to the people

Concretizing the spirit of The Politburo’s Resolution No.72-NQ/TW, Điện Biên is translating objectives into practical action programs. From grassroots medical stations to provincial-level hospitals, breakthrough solutions in elevating service quality and on-site treatment are creating the premise for a revolution in universal health protection, enabling every citizen to live longer, healthier, and happier.

Narrowing the healthcare gap

Early on a weekend morning during the universal free health check-up and consultation program, Sùng A Dùa from Háng Trợ village, Pu Nhi commune, accompanied family members to the commune Health Station for check-ups. While his family previously sought medical attention only when falling ill, their proactive approach to health monitoring has undergone a marked shift.

Sùng A Dùa shared that thanks to communication by cadres and the free check-up and counseling program, his family proactively sought screening. Attentive examinations and consultations by doctors help local residents detect illnesses early and receive timely treatment.

Implementing Resolution No.72-NQ/TW on ensuring fairness and equality in accessing healthcare services, since April 25, 2026, Điện Biên’s healthcare sector has rolled out a province-wide free health examination and consultation program, conducted periodically on at least one day each month. Policy beneficiaries, elderly citizens, poor and near-poor households, persons with disabilities, and individuals without health insurance cards are prioritized for service access.

Alongside mobile outreach programs, 45 commune and ward health stations maintain regular examination and treatment operations, step by step elevating primary healthcare quality for residents right in their home localities. At the Sính Phình Commune Health Station, citizens undergoing check-ups have vital signs examined, medical histories taken, and receive counseling on self-care and disease monitoring, alongside referral guidance for cases requiring specialized interventions.

During the first 9 months of the year, the Sính Phình commune Health Station conducted over 15,500 examination and treatment visits and dispensed health insurance medications to more than 4,500 patient turns. According to Doctor Thào A Lồng, in charge of the Sính Phình commune Health Station, maintaining regular check-ups enables the facility to closely monitor community health conditions, provide dedicated consultations, and manage underlying conditions locally, affirming its role as the first “protective shield” for public health.

For remote localities, bringing healthcare services closer to the people demands flexible approaches. Rather than waiting for residents to travel to clinics, medical teams organize mobile clinics, transporting medications, equipment, and medical personnel directly to disadvantaged villages. From the beginning of 2026 to August 13, 2026, the entire province organized free check-ups and consultations for 459,309 visits, reaching 67.73% of the population; among these, mobile clinics reached 278,286 visits. This confirms the expanding coverage of grassroots health protection activities, especially in areas where residents face barriers in accessing medical facilities.

According to Phạm Giang Nam, Director of the Department of Health, in executing the Politburo’s Resolution No.72-NQ/TW, the healthcare sector identifies taking public health and trust as the center and grassroots medicine as the foundation. With the characteristic mountainous terrain fragmented by difficult transport routes, delivering medical services closer to the people - especially compatriots in remote, isolated, and extremely difficult areas - stands as a central requirement. Being “close to the people” is thus placed within the broader requirement of healthcare accessibility: reducing geographic distances, easing costs for patients, enhancing early disease detection and timely intervention, and creating conditions for people to proactively care for their health.

Elevating on-site treatment capacity

Alongside expanding access, Điện Biên concentrates on upgrading diagnostic, screening, and treatment capabilities right at the local level. This is a vital mandate for a mountainous province where transit times to specialized tertiary centers can pose severe obstacles, particularly in emergency situations demanding immediate intervention.

At the Mường Pồn commune Health Station, being equipped with a general ultrasound machine from the beginning of 2026 has expanded local disease detection and screening capacity at the commune tier. Through examinations, healthcare staff can detect abdominal anomalies, pregnancy conditions, tumors, kidney stones, and gallstones, thereby providing counseling, triage, and referrals for cases requiring specialized care.

At the provincial level, the provincial General Hospital focuses on advancing cardiology, emergency resuscitation, and orthopedics; deploying advanced specialized techniques such as hematoma evacuation drainage, intracranial pressure monitoring in cerebral hemorrhage treatment, and complex laparoscopic surgeries. Consequently, many patients presenting severe, complex symptoms gain opportunities to receive treatment directly within the province.

The case of patient Và A Hai, 21 years old, residing in Sam Mứn commune, illustrates local capacity in managing critical cases. Following a traffic accident, the patient was hospitalized in a deep coma with severe respiratory failure resulting from traumatic brain injury, bilateral lung contusions, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Following over 2 months of intensive treatment with multidisciplinary coordination, the patient was successfully weaned off mechanical ventilation, achieved stable health, and was discharged to the joy of his family.

According to Doctor Trần Đức Nghĩa, Deputy Director of the provincial General Hospital, mastering complex techniques and saving critically injured patients locally serves as the clearest benchmark for the effectiveness of the strategy to enhance on-site treatment capacity. This approach not only seizes the “golden hour” to save lives, but more importantly, consolidates firm public trust in local healthcare quality.

The spirit of Resolution No.72-NQ/TW is being concretized through practical measures suited to a mountainous border province. However, to ensure geographic barriers do not impede health protection, the decisive factor remains the capacity of the healthcare tier closest to the people. This represents an ongoing mandate for Điện Biên in consolidating its personnel, elevating professional proficiencies, and building grassroots healthcare facilities capable of shouldering the primary health protection mission for the people.