POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE FOR ETHNIC MINORITIES IN VIETNAM: LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND ITS REALIZATION

This paper is based on the results of the study “Evaluation the implementation of reproductive health care (RHC) policies for ethnic minorities in Vietnam” that was implemented in 2008 by the Institute for Population and Social Studies – NEU required by UNFPA. This study used a combination of three research methods (desk-study, quantitative survey, and qualitative survey). The report indicated that the strength of RHC policies is to clearly express the orientation of incentive RHC for ethnic minorities by setting up specific objectives and solutions towards better condition of human resources, natural and financial resources in the mountainous areas. However, there are some weaknesses: inconsistence and vagueness in terms for subjects of the policies, loopholes in policies, some infeasible objectives, illogicality, contradiction among policies, general criteria, overlapping, and some problems in policymaking procedure. The gaps of policy implementation related to issuing guidance for policy implementation, the dissemination of RHC policies to people, RHC models, human resources, essential health equipment and medicines, regular income-expense for the commune medical centers, are also found out. This paper gave some recommendations to enhance the quality of RHC services for ethnic minorities.