From Professional Competence to Personal Ethics: General Secretary To Lam’s Vision for a People-Centered Healthcare System

The rapid advancement of science and technology, artificial intelligence supporting diagnosis, big data forecasting epidemics, and increasingly modern intervention techniques show that the quality of a healthcare system cannot be measured solely by the number of hospitals, medical devices, or highly skilled doctors.A more fundamental—and more sustainable—measure lies in how people are treated at their most vulnerable moments: when they carry pain, anxiety, and the hope of healing. A modern healthcare system can be built with budgets, technology, and training. But a humane healthcare system can only be shaped by the character, responsibility, and compassion of its medical professionals.In that context, professional competence is a necessary condition, while medical ethics is the sufficient condition for building public trust—something fragile, yet decisive for the long-term sustainability of any public institution.

In that context, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the health sector, General Secretary To Lam, while acknowledging the tremendous contributions of doctors, medical staff, and healthcare workers, emphasized: “Beyond performing professional duties well, it is essential to heighten the awareness of respecting and protecting patients’ lives and health; to treat patients fairly without discrimination based on ‘background, status, or personal connections’; to respect patients’ rights and dignity; to remain honest and objective in professional practice; to continuously study and improve knowledge and expertise; and to demonstrate responsibility toward the community and society, so as to truly be a ‘kind mother’ in the eyes of patients and their families.” Thus, the requirement to be both “professionally competent” and “ethically grounded” is not merely a reminder about individual conduct. It affirms a broader development philosophy: placing people at the center of all healthcare policies, regarding patients’ dignity as the foundation of service quality, and viewing professional ethics as a pillar of systemic reform. When the General Secretary underscores respect for life, fairness in treatment, protection of human dignity, professional integrity, and responsibility toward the community, he is outlining a healthcare model in which each physician is not only a technical expert but also a guardian of society’s moral standards—someone who treats individual patients while also helping to heal public trust. From this perspective, the call to be “professionally excellent and ethically steadfast” is not a moral slogan, but a declaration of the core values of Viet Nam’s healthcare system in its new stage of development: placing people at the center, grounding progress in character, and measuring success ultimately by social responsibility.

Placing People at the Center of Healthcare Reform

At every stage of development, healthcare has remained a field directly linked to life, human dignity, and public trust. In a modern healthcare environment—where technology, performance-based management, and market mechanisms increasingly shape operations—medical services risk being reduced to a “technical process” or an “economic service.” In such a setting, patients are no longer seen first and foremost as individuals with emotions, personal circumstances, and inherent dignity; instead, they may be reduced to data points within a system: a file, an insurance code, a “case” to be processed. Therefore, placing people at the center of healthcare reform is not merely an ethical choice—it is a strategic imperative of vital importance. The essence of healthcare lies not only in advanced machinery or cutting-edge treatment protocols, but also in safeguarding life and supporting individuals in their most fragile moments—when they long most intensely for the chance to live. When a person enters a hospital, they bring not only illness, but also anxiety, uncertainty, hope, and a deep dependence on the system. To put people at the center means that every policy, operational mechanism, and management model must answer a fundamental question: Whom does this policy serve, whom does it protect, and how does it affect the real lives of patients? If reform focuses solely on optimizing costs, increasing bed capacity, or improving technical indicators while neglecting patient experience and rights, it becomes a partial reform—efficient in appearance, yet lacking human depth. One common limitation in healthcare reform is the tendency to turn activities into rigid procedures and paperwork. In this model, patients are swept into a mechanical “process chain”: admission – testing – diagnosis – prescription – payment – discharge. Each step may comply with regulations, yet the overall experience often lacks personalization and genuine care. When healthcare is run like an assembly line, empathy—the core value of the medical profession—gradually erodes. Placing people at the center requires redesigning the system around patient experience as a key benchmark: waiting times, quality of communication, transparency of information, and the extent to which patients feel heard and respected. These are not “soft” concerns; they are criteria that reflect the level of civilization and humanity of a healthcare system.

A people-centered healthcare system must first recognize patients as rights-bearing subjects, not passive recipients. The right to be informed, the right to choose treatment options, the right to confidentiality, the right to equal treatment, and the right to lodge complaints—all are indispensable components of modern healthcare. When these rights are not fully guaranteed, patients fall into a state of dependence, becoming vulnerable and losing trust. Conversely, when dignity is respected, patients become partners in the treatment process, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of healthcare delivery. Therefore, healthcare reform cannot focus solely on professional expertise; it must go hand in hand with improving the legal framework that protects patients’ rights. Placing people at the center also means ensuring that all citizens have access to quality healthcare services, regardless of wealth, social status, or personal connections. In reality, inequality in healthcare often does not appear overtly, but exists in the form of “implicit priorities” or disparities between central and local levels, urban and rural areas. When the quality of care depends on one’s ability to pay or on personal connections, healthcare loses its public service essence. A humane healthcare system must treat equity as an operational principle, not merely a slogan.

In many fields, effectiveness is measured by growth or profit. But in healthcare, the most important indicator is trust. Public trust in doctors, in hospitals, and in the management system is an invisible form of “social capital,” yet it determines long-term stability and development. When people are placed at the center, trust is nurtured through transparency, accountability, and respect. Conversely, when patients feel neglected, treated coldly, or unfairly, a crisis of trust can spread, causing damage to the entire system.

The core message of placing people at the center is to shift the focus of reform from “what we have” to “what we ought to be.” It is not enough to ask how many hospitals, how much equipment, or how many doctors we have; we must also ask what kind of people the system is shaping, what kinds of relationships it fosters, and which values are being honored. A strong healthcare system does not only produce highly skilled specialists; it also cultivates a professional community rich in responsibility, integrity, and compassion. Placing people at the center of healthcare reform is a strategic choice that reflects the level of development and the depth of a nation’s governance culture. It is a difficult path, requiring persistence, a shift in mindset, and institutional reform, but it is the only path toward building a sustainable, trustworthy healthcare system that truly serves the people.

When every healthcare policy begins with the question “What do citizens gain, and how are they protected?”, reform will generate not only technical progress but also enduring human values for society. The General Secretary’s remarks have broadened the concept of “professional excellence.” In this approach, professional competence is not limited to technical skill; it must be inseparably linked with honesty in diagnosis and treatment, objectivity in practice, freedom from material interests, and non-discrimination among patient groups. This marks an important shift from the model of the “doctor as technician” to that of the “doctor as intellectual and public servant.”

Ethics Education: The Foundation of Sustainable Healthcare Quality

A prominent point in the General Secretary’s orientation is the emphasis on “continuously improving knowledge and professional qualifications” in parallel with cultivating professional ethics. This underscores that building medical ethics cannot rely solely on slogans or short-term campaigns; it must be institutionalized in medical education, staff evaluation, appointment and promotion mechanisms, reward systems, and the organizational culture of hospitals.

If professional expertise is taught in lecture halls, ethics must be nurtured throughout a lifetime of practice. A strong healthcare system is one that makes long-term investments in professional character, not only in technical skills.

The requirement to avoid discrimination based on a patient’s “background” and to remain “honest and objective” reflects a core issue: equity in access to healthcare services. In reality, inequality in medical examination and treatment is a key factor eroding public trust. When people perceive that the quality of care depends on money or personal connections, the healthcare system loses its fundamental ethical value. The General Secretary’s message therefore carries profound political and social significance: safeguarding fairness in healthcare is, in essence, safeguarding social justice in matters of human life.The requirement to avoid discrimination based on a patient’s “background” and to remain “honest and objective” reflects a core issue: equity in access to healthcare services. In reality, inequality in medical examination and treatment is a key factor eroding public trust. When people perceive that the quality of care depends on money or personal connections, the healthcare system loses its fundamental ethical value. The General Secretary’s message therefore carries profound political and social significance: safeguarding fairness in healthcare is, in essence, safeguarding social justice in matters of human life.Taken as a whole, General Secretary To Lam’s remarks reflect a strategic vision: building a healthcare system grounded in values, not merely in physical infrastructure. Those values include placing people at the center, grounding practice in ethics, driving progress through knowledge, and measuring success by social responsibility. When these values permeate every hospital, every department, and every healthcare worker, reform will gain depth and long-term resilience.

“From professional competence to moral character” is not simply a professional slogan; it is a national development orientation in the healthcare sector. The General Secretary’s speech sets higher expectations for medical professionals: to be highly skilled, ethically exemplary, and socially responsible. In a modern society where trust is the most precious asset, healthcare can only develop sustainably when built upon a foundation of humanity and integrity. From these standards, the image of the Vietnamese physician can truly become a steadfast moral pillar for every family and for the entire community—providing firm confidence as the nation enters a new era, an era of aspiration and advancement.

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