Gia Lai steps up COVID-19 prevention, control efforts
A delegation from the Ministry of Health, led by Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, joined a working session on February 3 with authorities in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai amid a surge of locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the area.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, speaks at the working session (Photo: VNA)
Gia Lai (VNA) - A delegation from the Ministry of Health,led by Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, joined a working session on February 3 withauthorities in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai amid a surge oflocally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the area.
The province had documented 14 infections as of 7am on February 3. Tracingand quarantine of F1 cases who had close contact with COVID-19 patients havebeen stepped up since the first positive cases were detected.
The local health sector has mobilised all personnel and resources, incombination with assistance from other agencies, to conduct contact tracing.More than 1,320 citizens are now under quarantine at 14 establishments in theprovince.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Vo Ngoc Thanh asked theMinistry of Health to send medical equipment and experts to the province forthe establishment of a 200-bed hospital for COVID-19 treatment.
Testing devices capable of collecting about 1,500 - 3,000 samples a dayare set to arrive in Gia Lai in the next few days, according to Assoc. Prof. DrPhan Trong Lan, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City.
The ministry has ordered relevant agencies to compile healthregulations in pandemic-hit localities and review all local medicalestablishments to help the COVID-19 hospitals.
The province was also requested to bolster communications work onCOVID-19 prevention and control among ethnic minority groups and impose strictfines on those not wearing facemasks in public./.
Thirty one cases of COVID-19 were reported in the past 12 hours to 6pm on February 2, with only one imported, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has asked localities to change their tactic and act faster in the prevention and control of COVID-19 as the pandemic is developing complicatedly in a different way from before.
Nineteen locally-transmitted and one imported COVID-19 cases were detected from 6am to 6pm on February 3, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, speaks at the working session (Photo: VNA) 
