Empowering innovation for Vietnam's sustainable healthcare

Themed "Empowering Innovation for Vietnam's Sustainable Healthcare", the event will assess the importance of innovation for the sustainable development of the medical and pharmaceutical industry in the new development period, the importance of fostering an enabling environment for health innovation, the opportunities and challenges, and lessons learned from other countries.

VIR to host health conference

The conference will feature keynote speeches from Atul Tandon, general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam; Dion Warren, Area Head of Takeda India and Southeast Asia; and Radhika Bhalla, Head of Vietnam and Asia Alliance Markets.

The panel discussion sessions are expected to have the voices of the National Assembly's Committee for Economic Affairs, the Foreign Investment Agency of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health, the Health Strategy and Policy Institute, the Pharma Group, EuroCham, and others.

The event will also attract many domestic and international organisations, including the World Bank, the US-ASEAN Business Council, UNICEF, HealthBridge, Vietnam Medical Informatics Association, and the Vietnam Pharmaceutical Companies Association among others.

Undoubtedly, 2024 is a pivotal year for the healthcare sector as it reviews and amends important laws and regulations that will shape the performance of the medical and pharmaceutical industry in the next decade, contributing to developing a sustainable health system, and creating an ecosystem enabling innovation.

Especially, the draft amendments to the Law on Pharmacy were discussed at the June session of the National Assembly, and are expected to be adopted in October. At present, the Ministry of Health is working on suggestions from organisations, experts and the business community before completing the draft.

Innovation in healthcare is not only a matter of industry development, but also associated with social benefits for patients and the wider community, contributing to solving challenges facing the healthcare system, as well as enhancing Vietnam's competitiveness.

Vietnam aspires to become one of the top countries in the region in testing, researching and producing high-quality drugs, striving to contribute over $20 billion to the country’s GDP by 2045. Thus, a new approach with an enabling environment to develop the medical and pharmaceutical industry focusing on innovation, technological advancement and digital transformation is considered a key driving force for success.

However, there are a number of difficulties facing innovation in Vietnam’s health, meaning the country must have a new approach, and solutions, and stakeholders need to contribute more to change the situation.

The event is expected to set off a policy dialogue between government agencies and the business community, and serve as a platform for stakeholders to make themselves be heard, as well as help foster business cooperation opportunities.

The half-day conference, set to take place from 8am-12pm, September 25, at the Sheraton Hotel in Hanoi, will be covered extensively across VIR’s various print and online offerings, as well as by leading TV channels and media agencies.

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