Sanaa:The Ministry of Health is undertaking significant reforms to improve healthcare services, focusing on strengthening health data systems and sector regulations while addressing key areas such as maternal and child health, private healthcare oversight, and financial management.
According to Lao News Agency, Health Minister Baykham Khattiya detailed the ministry's initiatives in response to inquiries from National Assembly members during the Second Ordinary Session of the 10th National Assembly on October 7, 2026.
Incomplete reporting from private healthcare facilities, population estimates, migration, and access challenges in remote areas have impacted the accuracy of maternal and child health and immunization data. To address this, the ministry is executing the National Strategy and Plan of Action for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, which includes targeted immunization campaigns in underserved districts and health centers. An upgrade of the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) is underway, incorporating the latest population census data to facilitate real-time health reporting from central to grassroots levels.
The ministry is piloting monthly monitoring of children's nutritional status under five years old through DHIS2 in three provinces, with plans for nationwide expansion post-evaluation. Additionally, efforts to promote HIV prevention and monitor iodine levels in salt are being intensified.
Oversight of private healthcare and aesthetic centers is being reinforced. Inspections revealed 46 authorized private hospitals, 23 medical centers, 2,076 clinics, and 183 unauthorized aesthetic centers conducting medical procedures. Unregistered facilities are required to comply with infrastructure, personnel, and medicine standards to obtain licenses.
The '5 Goods, 1 Satisfaction' policy aims to enhance healthcare quality, with internal assessments completed at 87 hospitals. Medical ethics training and professional standards are being bolstered.
To ensure the availability of essential medicines and financial sustainability, the ministry is considering better integration of health insurance and social security under a unified legal framework. It is also improving medicine procurement and payment systems while promoting greater administrative and financial autonomy for hospitals.
These measures are designed to enhance healthcare quality, strengthen accountability, and ensure more accessible and sustainable health services for the public.