On the afternoon of August 25, in Hanoi, the first Congress to establish the Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the Health Sector, term 2025-2030, took place successfully. Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tuan Hung, former Deputy Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel ( Ministry of Health ) was elected to hold the position of President of the Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the Health Sector.
The Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the Health Sector is a social-professional organization operating in the health sector, voluntarily established in accordance with the law, not for profit. The purpose of the Association is to gather, unite, protect the rights and legitimate interests of members, support, share experiences, develop the profession of social work in health, improve the quality and effectiveness of medical examination, treatment and disease prevention for the people, contributing to the socio -economic development of the country.
The establishment of the Association is an important milestone in the development of social work in the health sector in Vietnam. The Association will be a "common home" for social workers, lecturers, experts, policy makers and social workers in health. This is a place to connect, support, improve professional capacity, and closely cooperate with health workers to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment and comprehensive health care for the people.
The past 15 years have proven that, from a spontaneous beginning, 100% of central hospitals and more than 90% of provincial and regional hospitals now have social work departments/teams, with nearly 10,000 staff. They are the “doctors of the soul”, making an important contribution to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, and building social trust in the medical sector.
During the 2025-2030 term, the Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the Health Sector will focus on the following key tasks: Participating in the development, review and supervision of policies, laws and professional regulations related to social work in the health sector; organizing training, coaching, improving management, professional and technical capacity for members; participating in the development of professional guidelines and social work practice procedures applied at health facilities; participating in promoting scientific research activities and international cooperation; communicating the application of technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), in social work activities in the health sector.
Speaking at the Congress, Professor, Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, Chairman of the National Medical Council, said that with the establishment of the Association, social work in the health sector has a new foothold for professional development, systematic and international integration; at the same time, it also has a new motivation to accompany doctors and the entire industry. The Association is the place to connect policy with practice, the voice of the community, a compassionate hand accompanying medical wisdom, so that Vietnam's health sector is not only modern in technology, but also profound in humanity, sustainable in social trust.
The leaders of the Ministry of Health suggested that in the coming time, the Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the health sector should focus on key tasks: participating in the development, criticism and supervision of policies, laws, and professional regulations (including Decree 110/ND-CP, Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT and related legal documents); regularly organizing information, propaganda and dissemination activities of policies and laws to members; at the same time receiving and synthesizing feedback from the grassroots to propose and recommend to competent authorities.
In addition, the Association needs to promote training activities to improve management capacity and technical expertise for members; participate in research to provide evidence for policy makers and competent authorities to edit legal documents, issue professional guidelines, and social work procedures in health care, etc.
Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan affirmed that, as the State management agency for health, the Ministry of Health will accompany and create maximum conditions for the Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the health sector to operate effectively.
The Ministry of Health and relevant agencies will support the provision of information, data, research results and industry development orientation, helping the Association develop appropriate action programs, and at the same time create a favorable mechanism for the Association to strengthen coordination in implementing consulting activities, specialized seminars and experience sharing.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/thanh-lap-hoi-cong-tac-xa-hoi-nganh-y-te-viet-nam-post903477.html
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