Since 2018, USAID’s Raising Voices Creating Opportunities-II project has partnered with the Ministry of Health to review laws on medical examination and treatment. As a result, on January 9, 2023, the National Assembly approved a revised Law on Medical Examination and Treatment with new provisions supporting the rights of persons with disabilities. The new provisions include categorizing persons with severe disabilities as prioritized patients; adding persons with disabilities to the prioritized group entitled to state payment of medical examination and treatment costs; and requiring the use of a patient’s preferred form of communication, for example sign language, in examination and treatment.
This work aligns Vietnamese laws with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which Vietnam is a signatory. Implementation of the revised Laws contribute to improved health outcomes and the overall improvement in the quality of life of persons with disabilities in Vietnam.
