Vietnam to Integrate Traditional Medicine into Public Health Insurance

Why this is here: Officials are planning to digitize Vietnam’s entire store of traditional remedies and local knowledge of various ethnic groups.

Tổng Bí thư, Chủ tịch nước Tô Lâm stated in Hanoi that integrating traditional Vietnamese medicine into the national health insurance system will improve access for citizens. He believes this integration is key to making traditional medicine more widely available. Researchers are piloting models for healthcare centers, medicinal herb villages, and sustainable tourism linked to poverty reduction.

The government also plans to digitize traditional knowledge and create a national database. Development requires collaboration between research institutions, universities, hospitals, and local businesses. Officials emphasize that traditional and Western medicine should complement each other, and are encouraging private sector investment in research and deep processing of medicinal herbs.

However, challenges remain in standardizing practices and preventing commercial exploitation. The Ministry of Health will develop a national strategy for traditional medicine through 2030, with a vision to 2045, but details of implementation are still forthcoming.