Learn about the vaccination process in Vietnam

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), vaccination saves 4.4 million lives each year worldwide. It can be said that, except for clean water, no method, not even antibiotics, can have a positive impact on reducing mortality rates like vaccination. When vaccinated, our body's immune system recognizes the vaccine as a foreign substance and immediately produces an "army" of antibodies to destroy and remember them. Therefore, when real pathogens invade the body in the future, the immune system will immediately react, fighting against the pathogens quickly and effectively.

1. Benefits of vaccination

Immunization protects children from illness, which in turn helps them avoid missing school, thus improving their academic performance. When children are protected from illness, parents do not need to take time off work to care for their sick children, which does not affect their productivity. In particular, families are less likely to suffer mental anguish from the after-effects, loss, and high costs of treating and caring for sick children.

Not only children, adults, the elderly, pregnant women, people with many underlying diseases, people with weakened immune systems also need to be vaccinated to be protected against the risk of disease, complications, hospitalization or even death. According to WHO, each year in the world, more than 1.5 million people die from infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccines. 80% of infections and deaths are in adults, people with many underlying diseases or weakened immune systems.

In Vietnam, every year, most adults were not vaccinated as children, even after 1985 when the National Expanded Immunization Program (EPI) was launched, many people were only vaccinated with a few vaccines, not to mention that previous vaccine production technology could not maintain antibodies for a long time, so most people needed booster shots.

2. Benefits for society

If a person is vaccinated, they are less likely to get sick and spread the disease to others, suggesting that a vaccinated person also helps protect those around them. The more people who are vaccinated, the less likely they are to get sick and spread the disease in the community, a condition known as herd immunity. Herd immunity is important in protecting those who are unvaccinated or unable to be vaccinated.

Additionally, vaccination is one of the most profitable investments in public health care.

• Statistics from the International Vaccine Access Center of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (USA) in 2021 show that every 1 USD (more than 20,000 VND) invested in each dose of vaccine will save 20 USD (about nearly 500,000 VND) in total medical costs.
• Reports from research in 11 countries in Western Europe show that the cost of treating a measles case is approximately 6 to 13 million VND, while the cost of controlling and vaccinating a person against measles is only approximately a few tens to a few hundred thousand VND.

2. Current vaccination process

A safe, modern, scientific vaccination process must ensure strict professional regulations, good vaccination service quality and satisfaction of the vaccinated person. Based on the regulations of the Ministry of Health and the recommendations of medical organizations, international and domestic experts on preventive medicine, the VNVC Vaccination Center System implements a safe vaccination process consisting of 8 closed steps as follows:

• Step 1: Register Customer information at the reception desk.
• • Customers who purchase the Vaccine Package: Get priority service in private areas/locations, please notify the Receptionist for priority service
  • New customers without information at VNVC: get a queue number or follow the instructions to the information registration counter to create a vaccination record and Customer code.
  • Customers who have vaccination information at VNVC: take a queue number or follow the instructions to go to the registration counter for pre-vaccination examination
• Step 2: Screening examination at the clinic, in the order shown on the display screen.
• Step 3: Doctor examines, consults and prescribes vaccination.
• Step 4: Customers pay at the cashier (for Customers who have not paid yet). Customers who purchase a Vaccine Package do not need to perform this Step and will be given priority to be invited to the vaccination room.
• Step 5: Get vaccinated at the vaccination room, in the order shown on the display screen.
• Step 6: Rest in the Post-Injection Monitoring Area for about 30 minutes.
• Step 7: Medical staff check the health of the vaccinated person and provide instructions for post-vaccination monitoring at home before returning home.
• Step 8: Support and advise customers about post-vaccination reactions or other vaccination needs at the center or via the hotline.

If you are a foreigner who needs to use medical services while traveling in Vietnam, your medical benefits will be supported as Vietnamese citizens. To ensure your medical benefits are best guaranteed, you should go with an interpreter to exchange and receive information fully and effectively.

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