JICA helping Vietnamese hospitals improve infection control
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) handed over 2,000 handbooks on infection control practices to Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City on June 3, as part of its aid package to the hospital.
HCM City (VNA) - The Japan International CooperationAgency (JICA) handed over 2,000 handbooks on infection control practicesto Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City on June 3, as part of its aid package to thehospital.
In order to support Vietnam in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, JICA has decidedto continue with aid packages of about 60 million JPY (551,000 USD) for the hospitaland 20 million JPY (nearly 184,000 USD) for centres for disease control (CDCs) inNam Dinh, Ha Giang, Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc, Kien Giang, and Tra Vinh provinces.
The handbook was compiled by the infection control ward at the hospital with technicalassistance from JICA experts. It is also hoped to improve infection control atthe Cho Ray Vietnam-Japan Friendship Hospital, to be established in the time tocome, as well as at 21 provincial-level hospitals in the south and the MekongDelta.
JICA is implementing a technical cooperation project to improve hospital managementat Cho Ray Hospital through applying safety procedures for patients, coordinatingbetween clinical procedures and multidisciplinary teams, and promoting measuresto control hospital infections.
In August last year, in a bid to strengthen infection control at Cho Ray andwithin the framework of the project, training courses on the use of protectiveequipment were held for the hospital’s doctors and nurses.
JICA has implemented non-refundable aid projects since 2006 to help improve thecapacity of medical laboratory networks regarding biosafety and the examinationof highly hazardous and infectious pathogens at the National Institute ofHygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and theHCM City-based PasteurInstitute, in the context of Vietnam not having to deal with many infectiousdiseases in the past.
JICA experts have also worked with NIHE and the PasteurInstitute to identify solutions to improve testing capacity for dangerousinfectious diseases as well as COVID-19 in provincial-level CDCs in particularand in medical establishments around Vietnam in general./.
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
