THỰC TRẠNG HOẠT ĐỘNG VÀ KHẢ NĂNG ĐÁP ỨNG TRONG CÔNG TÁC KIỂM DỊCH Y TẾ BIÊN GIỚI TẠI TỈNH LÀO CAI NĂM 2025

Objectives: (1) To describe border health quarantine activities in Lao Cai province in 2025; (2) To describe the response capacity and challenges in border quarantine. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study combining quantitative (retrospective reports) and qualitative (in-depth interviews) methods was conducted at Lao Cai International Health Quarantine Center in 2025. Results: The system achieved 100% coverage for routine mandatory indicators (supervising 5,781,029 passengers). Joint cross-border surveillance reached 75% but was compensated by independent local surveillance. Regarding capacity, 85% of staff hold university degrees and 100% of Points of Entry are equipped with remote thermal scanners. However, emergency response capacities revealed gaps: a complete lack of specialized transport vehicles (0 ambulances) and no official referral mechanism. Financially, despite excellent management ensuring 78.6% of expenditures for personnel and saving 10.1% (nearly 2 billion VND) for equipment reinvestment, this surplus hits the ceiling of the autonomy mechanism, remaining insufficient for procuring expensive IHR-standard assets like ambulances. Inter-agency coordination is highly effective via the digital border model. Conclusion: The system is robust in routine screening but vulnerable in emergency response. The financial autonomy mechanism limits the ability to modernize critical infrastructure, requiring public investment intervention for strategic equipment to fully comply with IHR (2005).