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| Health check-ups for a resident at Phong Phu Ward Health Station |
Home medical visits
In early January 2026, Mrs. Kan Ep in A Ngo (A Luoi 2 Commune), who is over 60 and a regular patient at the commune health station, suddenly suffered from high blood pressure and was unable to walk. Upon receiving the news, Dr. Le Minh Nuong immediately rushed to her home for a check-up. Fortunately, the cause was simply that Mrs. Kan Ep had run out of medicine but “had not found the time” to go to the health station for a refill. After receiving timely medication and monitoring, her blood pressure quickly stabilized.
Around the same time, the medical facility in the Hong Bac area (A Luoi 2 Commune) received an emergency call from the family of Mrs. Kan Rui - a patient with multiple underlying conditions, including hypertension, colitis, and cirrhosis. Without hesitation, the health station dispatched medical staff to her home. Upon arrival, they found Mrs. Kan Rui foaming at the mouth with blood pressure soaring to 200/100 mmHg. The medical officers provided immediate first aid to stabilize her initial condition and quickly arranged a vehicle to transfer her to A Luoi Medical Center for further treatment. Thanks to this timely intervention, Mrs. Kan Rui overcame the critical stage.
Traveling to the mountainous area of A Luoi, we heard many meaningful stories about the “unnamed” tasks performed by the local doctors. Since July 2025, following the administrative merger, the A Luoi 2 Commune Health Station consists of four facilities: A Ngo, Hong Bac, Quang Nham, and the formerly A Luoi town area. With relatively convenient transportation, residents in A Ngo or the town area can go directly to A Luoi Medical Center for medical examination and treatment. However, many still choose the local health station, where dedicated doctors like Dr. Le Minh Nuong always provide attentive care at the clinic and are ready to visit patients at home whenever they are in need.
Currently, A Luoi 2 Commune has about 900 people eligible for home-based medical care services, a figure that highlights the vital role of grassroots healthcare in community health, especially in mountainous areas.
Dedication at the clinic
Phong Phu Ward covers a large area with a dense population, so the Ward Health Station always places great emphasis on medical examination and treatment to ensure the health care of the People. According to Dr. Nguyen Cong Phuong, Director of the Health Station, the unit receives an average of over 30 residents per day for check-ups and prescriptions.
The Health Station is currently equipped with an ultrasound machine and various specialized medical devices, basically meeting the primary healthcare needs of the residents in the area.
“It is very convenient to be examined and treated right at the health station near my home. Compared to some other places, here, it has an ultrasound machine, so I do not have to go to the medical center; whenever I feel unwell, I come here for a check-up,” shared Ms. Nhung, a resident of Phong Phu Ward.
Commune and ward health stations across Hue City continue to accompany the residents, from providing initial medical examinations and treatment to implementing disease prevention campaigns, expanded immunization programs, and the management and monitoring of chronic diseases.
At the Vy Da Ward Health Station (Facility 2), residents who come for check-ups are warmly welcomed, guided, and carefully examined by the team of doctors and medical staff. Mrs. Ngo Thi Kim Trang, a resident of Vy Da Ward, shared: “I am 70 years old now and often suffer from aches and pains, so I frequently visit the Ward Health Station for health check-ups. Every time I come, the doctors guide me very attentively. The procedures are quick, and I do not have to wait long, so I feel very reassured and satisfied.”
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Kiem Hao, Member of the City Party Committee and Director of Hue City Department of Health: “The two-tier local government health model is an important innovation in the provision of public services. The healthcare sector of Hue City identifies this not only as a reorganization of the apparatus, but also as an opportunity to improve the quality of primary healthcare, aiming to build a modern, lean, and people-centered grassroots health system.”
The vital need for grassroots doctors
Survey results in the A Luoi area show many encouraging signs. As of 2025, all five commune health stations in the area have doctors in charge of professional services, including 11 doctors with Specialist Level I qualifications. Key healthcare programs such as the management of hypertension and diabetes, maternal and child health, expanded immunization, and school health services, etc., have been implemented synchronously and effectively.
The electronic health record system is maintained and updated regularly, ensuring the information connectivity between the health stations and the A Luoi Medical Center. This contributes to reducing the burden on higher-level facilities, as well as gradually improving the quality of healthcare at the grassroots level.
However, behind these positive figures, there are still many concerns. Compared to the medical staff working in hospitals, the one at commune and ward health stations must handle a wider variety of tasks and face greater pressure, as they play a core role in primary healthcare, disease prevention, and local health management. They provide medical examinations and treatment, implement vaccination programs, manage non-communicable diseases, and participate in numerous community health programs simultaneously.
Although the number of medical staff, particularly doctors, has been significantly increased, the increasing workload means that human resources at the health stations still do not fully meet the demands.
From practical experience, those directly managing the health stations have also proposed specific recommendations. Dr. Nguyen Thi Chung, Head of the A Luoi 2 Commune Health Station, expressed her hope that sufficient staff would soon be allocated according to the professional structure stipulated in Circular No. 43/2025/TT-BYT dated November 15, 2025, issued by the Ministry of Health, in order to ensure the Health Station's operations become increasingly effective and sustainable.
Not only at the grassroots level, but also among leaders of the city’s healthcare sector, there are high expectations for the transformation of the grassroots healthcare system. The implementation of the two-tier local government model has significantly changed the scale and scope of operations of commune and ward health stations, requiring them to maintain stable operations while actively adapting to ensure no disruption in healthcare services for residents. In this regard, ensuring that doctors are always on duty at health stations plays a vital role in improving the quality of primary healthcare and managing public health.
Mr. Tran Kiem Hao expressed his hope that: “With the drastic involvement of the People's Committees of communes and wards, along with the responsibility and dedication of the medical staff, the health station system across the city will achieve new and stronger development, better meeting the healthcare needs of the People."
For this system to truly be effective, in addition to the efforts of the healthcare sector, there is a great need for synchronized investment in infrastructure, equipment, and preferential policies for medical staff. When the “gatekeepers” are given more resources and motivation, grassroots healthcare will become a solid foundation for a modern, fair, and sustainable healthcare system.