An adaptive model of health system organization and responses helped Vietnam to successfully halt the Covid‐19 pandemic: What lessons can be learned from a resource‐constrained country

Abstract

Coping with the COVID‐19 pandemic has been painful and no single model for such a purpose is perfect. However, sharing experiences is the best way for countries to learn real‐time lessons and adapt to this rapidly changing pandemic. This commentary shares with the international community how an adaptive model of health system organization and responses helped Vietnam to break transmission of coronavirus. We find that an effective model is adaptive to time and context, and mobilizes and engages the wider society. We identify merging of different health system units into Center for Diseases Controls as a health system organization that saved massive resources. The early establishment of a formal committee responding to the pandemic helped unify every public health strategy. The mobilization of different stakeholders and communities added resources and facilitated a synchronous implementation of response strategies, even where those strategies involved significant personal or financial sacrifice. National training on Covid‐19 treatment for healthcare professionals across the entire hospital system was useful to expand the health service availability. Quickly published response guidelines helped to activate every level of the health system and involve every sector of society. A strategy of keeping high alert and preemptive action is also essential for coping with the pandemic.

A Systematic Narrative Review of Comprehensive Preparedness Strategies of Healthcare Resources for a Large Resurgence of COVID-19 Nationally, with Local or Regional Epidemics: Present Era and Beyond

“…Describing approaches falling under six predefined domains, 33 articles specifically focused on preparedness strategies of healthcare resources for the pandemic ( Table 1 ). 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 The final list of selected publications included 3 original articles, 9 commentaries, and 21 review articles. All but six articles were published between 2019 and 2020.…”

“… 16 49 In preparation for a surge beyond the care-provision capacity of facilities, non-designated private academic and teaching hospitals should be equipped and trained to care for COVID-19 cases. 11 17 20…”

Decrease in Admissions and Change in the Diagnostic Landscape in a Newborn Care Unit in Northern Ghana During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…As we battle with the second wave of the pandemic, effective care for neonatal jaundice should include risk factor screening, the early establishment of breastfeeding, monitoring and managing hyperbilirubinemia, and parental education before neonate discharge ( 53 ). To continue to prepare hospitals for the direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic, resources for surgical care should be improved, health care personnel should be educated on available treatments for SARS-CoV-2, and hospitals should ensure the provision of personal protective equipment ( 42 , 54 ).…”

Coping with the Challenges of COVID-19 Using the Sociotype Framework: A Rehearsal for the Next Pandemic

“…Figure 1 lists these coping responses, which are taken mainly from the countries with moderate to high-performance health systems. Though experience from and for resource-constrained countries and areas was accumulating, including mobilization and engagement of the wider society, early establishment of a formal responding committee, etc., 29 , 30 relevant information is still limited. Capacity constraints, such as accessibility to health care and testing facilities, 31 have probably masked the actual situation when the virus is spreading naturally.…”