Title: School health service delivery and workforce capacity in four northern provinces of Viet Nam: a cross-sectional study of 46 schools, 2024-2025
Authors: Nguyen Thi Thao Ngan, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, Nguyen Anh Huy
Volume: 10
Issue: 9
Pages: 170-181
Publication Date: 2026/09/28
Abstract:
School health services are the operational core of health-promoting schools, yet in many low- and middle-income countries their delivery is constrained less by missing structures than by an under-qualified workforce. This cross-sectional study assessed the enabling conditions, workforce and delivery of school health services in 46 schools in four northern provinces of Viet Nam (Lang Son, Bac Giang, Hung Yen, Thai Binh) during the 2024-2025 school year. Data were obtained from document review, structured interviews with a school board representative and with the staff member responsible for school health at each school (n = 44), and on-site inspection of health rooms, classrooms, water and sanitation facilities and kitchens. Each school was scored and graded against Joint Circular No. 13/2016/TTLT-BYT-BGDDT; analyses were descriptive (SPSS 20.0). Organisational prerequisites were near-universal: 97.8% of schools had a Student Health Care Board, 100% issued an annual plan with an allocated budget, and 89.1% had a dedicated health room, although only 78.3% held the complete equipment set. Workforce capacity was the weakest domain: 58.7% of schools employed a dedicated health worker, 37.0% relied on a dual-role staff member and 4.3% had none; only 61.4% of the 44 staff held a health-professional qualification; and although 93.2% had attended in-service training within five years, knowledge was adequate in just 54.5% for the eight mandated content areas and 63.6% for the five mandated tasks. Delivery was nevertheless strong, with 93.5% of schools conducting annual health checks and 100% providing first aid and coordinating with commune health stations. Overall, 56.5% of schools were graded Good and 43.5% Fair, with none rated lower.