Text message campaign to support TB patients launched
A text message campaign to support Tuberculosis (TB) patients was launched on March 22 by the National Lung Hospital, the National Programme against Tuberculosis and the Patients Support Foundation to End Tuberculosis (PASTB) and the National Humanitarian Portal 1400.
Hanoi (VNA) – A text message campaign to support Tuberculosis (TB)patients was launched on March 22 by the National Lung Hospital, the NationalProgramme against Tuberculosis and the Patients Support Foundation to EndTuberculosis (PASTB) and the National Humanitarian Portal 1400.
Accordingly, from 00:00 on March 22 to 24:00 on May 21, mobileservice subscribers can text TB to 1402 to contribute 20,000 VND (0.87 USD) tothe fund.
Each message will provide funds to help TB patients overcomethe disease and reduce infection risks in the community.
Ending TB would mean saving 11,000 lives each year and easethe worry of infection for hundreds of thousands of people.
At present, more than 20,000 TB patients in Vietnam do nothave health insurance cards yet. For health insurance card holders from poor and near-poor households, treatment fees are also a problem.
In 2020, Vietnam ranked 11th among the 30 countries thataccount for nearly 90 percent of the world’s TB burden. It is also one of themost common communicable diseases in the country.
Each year, it is estimated that 170,000 people become sickfrom TB in Vietnam, but only around 100,000 are accounted for in the NationalTB system, leaving around 50,000 community TB cases undiagnosed, and theremaining 20,000 diagnosed but not reported.
As of late December 2020, the PASTB, set up on March 16,2018, had supported 2,560 patients, with the total amount of over 5.7 billionVND (247,100 USD)./.
Delegates at a conference in Hanoi on August 15 discussed measures to complete tuberculosis (TB) treatment facilities in 15 provinces that have yet to build special hospitals for this disease.
Vietnam is facing an uphill battle to control tuberculosis (TB), with about 174,000 people in the country contracting the disease each year and 13,000 fatalities.
Hanoi’s tuberculosis (TB) prevention programme was effectively implemented in all communes and wards in 2020, benefiting all the population of the capital city.
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.
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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.
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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.
Treating TB patients (Photo: VNA) 
