Hanoi (VNA) – The Health Ministry’s MedicalServices Administration (MSA) and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) onSeptember 27 launched the clinical decision support training initiative tomedical services in Vietnam with the aim to improve the detection, diagnosisand control of infectious diseases.

The launch was conducted within the framework of a workshopto transfer BMJ’s professional guidance to Vietnam’s medical check-up andtreatment system.

Attending the workshop were Deputy Health Minister NguyenViet Tien, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Giles Lever, representatives from the BMJand the US’s Defence Threat Reduction Agency, and leaders and doctors ofhospitals in Hanoi.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Health Minister Tien saidimprovement of medical services and overcrowding at hospitals was one of themajor priorities of the health sector in the coming years.

The cooperation between MSA and BMJ will help the healthsector meet the increasing demand of health care and treatment in Vietnam, headded.

“Today’s clinicians deal with a wealth of constantlychanging information and it is increasingly difficult to keep the knowledge andpractice current. We feel privileged to be using our international expertise todeliver trusted, evidence-based knowledge to Vietnam health careprofessionals,” Mitali Wroczynski, head of Strategic Partnerships at BMJ, said.

“We will not only help accelerate progress for a world safeand secure from infectious disease threats but also establish a comprehensiveand sustainable training and clinical decision support programme that willaddress broader health care priorities in Vietnam, and support continuingmedical education and professional development,” Wroczynski added.

The initiative provides health care professionals withevidence-based online tools and resources, including BMJ Best Practice and BMJLearning, which together cover over 90 percent of the most commonly presentedconditions across primary and secondary care. Clinicians will receive online,offline and mobile access to over 1,000 clinical decision support topics andover 800 online learning modules. A significant proportion of this content willbe translated into Vietnamese.

The initiative will help address national notifiablediseases, including Anthrax and Avian Influenza; diseases of significantconcern such as Brucellosis; and infectious diseases such as HIV, multi-drugresistant TB and Malaria.

However, the comprehensive coverage provided by theprogramme will play a dual role in supporting the top health care priorities ofVietnam, including stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonarydisorder, diabetes, hypertension and many other non-communicable diseases.

Vietnam currently has more than 1,300 hospitals and medicalfacilities with 250,000 beds that serve 150 million visits of outpatients and15 million inpatients yearly, according to the health ministry. -VNA