The World Health Organisation (WHO) Vietnam has praised the country for its significant progress in fighting tuberculosis (TB) over the previous year in a letter sent to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on the occasion of the World TB Day (March 24).
Doctors examine a patient with tuberculosis in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The World Health Organisation(WHO) Vietnam has praised the country for its significant progress in fightingtuberculosis (TB) over the previous year in a letter sent to Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Duc Dam on the occasion of the World TB Day (March 24).
WHO Representative to Vietnam Kidong Park took theoccasion to invite Deputy PM Dam, who is head of the National Committee on Tuberculosis Prevention and Control, toparticipate in this year’s World TB Day global campaign.
The theme of the World TB Day 2021 – “The clock isticking” – conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act onthe commitments to end TB. The WHO is urging countries to implement tenpriority recommendations to put the world on track to reach agreed targets by2022 and beyond.
It is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19pandemic that has put the End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitableaccess to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achievingUniversal Health Coverage.
According to the WHO, TB remains the world’s deadliestinfectious killer. Each day, over 4,000 people lose their lives to TB and closeto 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
In 2015, world leaders committed to ending the global TBepidemic by 2030 and they reaffirmed their commitment to fighting the diseaseat the UN General Assembly’s High-level Meeting on Fight to End TB in 2018. Itis expected to have around 40 million people worldwide provided with access todiagnosis and treatment by 2022.
Heads of State and Government committed to mobilisesufficient and sustainable financing from all sources for universal access toquality TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. They aim to increaseoverall global investments for ending TB at least 13 billion USD annually by2022.
Vietnam has seen considerable progress in reducing TBburden. The number of new cases founded in 2020 dropped 3.1 percent from170,000 in the previous year./.
A national teleconference in Hanoi on March 24 called on the public to work harder to turn the peril of the COVID-19 pandemic into an opportunity for Vietnam for eradicating tuberculosis (TB) by 2030.
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 National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) and USAID on December 15 expanded the Ministry of Health/NTP’s “Double X” Strategy for tuberculosis (TB) case identification in a bid to wipe out this respiratory disease in Vietnam by 2030.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on December 15 launched the Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) project in Vietnam.
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.
Doctors examine a patient with tuberculosis in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)
