Impacts of extreme weather events on health infrastructure and service delivery in rural areas of Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam

Objective: This study examined the impacts of extreme weather events (EWEs) in the past five years on infrastructure, service delivery, and workforce in district hospitals and commune health centers (CHCs) in Huong Khe and Huong Son districts, Ha Tinh Province. 

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2024 using structured questionnaires administered to two district hospitals and 46 CHCs. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to summarize key indicators to assess damage levels across infrastructure components, disruptions in service capacity, and impacts on staff well-being, and Fisher’s Exact Test was used with statistical significance level set at p  < 0.05.

Results: EWEs caused extensive damage to emergency units, water and electrical systems, and led to service disruptions in over 70% of facilities. Electricity and clean water remained unstable one-week post-event in many facilities. 66.7% of healthcare staff reported physical health impacts, 72.9% experienced psychological distress, and 68.7% reduced working capacity. There were significant associations between infrastructure damage and disruptions in health service delivery.

Conclusion: EWEs disrupted not only infrastructure but also the core functions of service delivery, access to utilities, workforce capacity, and the ability to care for isolated populations. Damage to essential systems, such as clean water, electricity, medical supplies, and communication networks, undermined health system performance in EWEs when it was needed most. EWEs significantly compromised the resilience of the health facilities. Findings demonstrate the urgent need to strengthen climate resilience and disaster preparedness in Vietnam’s primary healthcare system. These insights are important for disaster preparedness planning and national health system strengthening.

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