At a workshop held on April 17 in Hanoi, medical experts discussed a draft project to enhance the capacity of the medical support system outside of treatment facilities for the next five-year period. The primary focus is to overcome slow response times and lack of synchronization in initial emergency procedures.
Current Status and Statistics: Current data indicates a significant gap in emergency medical access. Each year, Vietnam records approximately 222,000 stroke cases, but only 23.2% of patients reach a hospital within the “golden hour” (the first 4.5 hours). Notably, only 20% of emergency cases are transported by specialized vehicles. The current ambulance ratio is only 0.2 vehicles per 100,000 people, significantly lower than regional counterparts such as Singapore (4 times higher) or Japan (10 times higher).
Development Orientations toward 2030:
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Infrastructure and Human Resources: Aiming to achieve a ratio of at least 1 ambulance per 100,000 people. First aid training programs will be expanded to functional forces such as traffic police, firefighters, flight attendants, and students.
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Facility Network: Establishing rapid response stations within a 3km radius in urban areas and 6km in rural areas to optimize scene arrival time.
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Technological Application: Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for patient triaging via phone calls and integrating electronic health record data. AI will also be linked with traffic systems to prioritize routes for emergency vehicles.
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Consolidation of Emergency Numbers: Plans are underway to integrate the 113, 114, and 115 hotlines into a single national number, 113. This system will be managed by the Ministry of Public Security, ensuring 24/7 information reception and coordination through redundant data gateways.
The Ministry of Health expects to finalize and submit this project to the Government for approval around May or June 2026.