With world-class techniques and low costs, Vietnam is gearing up to compete internationally in the lucrative medical tourism sector.

Officials at Vietnam Social Insurance (VNSI) have emphasised the need for robust measures to curb the frequent and increasingly sophisticated misuse of health insurance funds, which has resulted in excessive spending affecting cardholders.

About 14 million people suffer from mental disorders in Vietnam, but the country has only 143 clinical psychologists and psychotherapists, the Suc khoe & doi song (Health & Life) newspaper reported.

In the first six months of the year, the HCM City Eye Hospital used up all the lens reserved for the whole year’s use. As a result, cataract patients have to wait until mid-August to have lens replacement surgeries.

HCM City is seeing an increase in the incidence of hand-foot-mouth disease and dengue fever among children due to the recent hot weather and rains.

A master plan to develop the physical strength and height of Vietnamese people in the 2011-30 period is expected to help improve the quality of human resources of Vietnam.

Cancer is becoming a health calamity in Vietnam as the disease’s burden accounts for 66 percent of total disease costs and badly affects to the socioeconomic growth.