Health experts from around the world have praised Vietnam for its efforts and achievements in maternal and child health care at a global forum held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from June 30 to July 1.

The medical sector has managed to reduce the rate of maternal fatalities to nearly 62 last year from 233 out of 100,000 lives in 1990. The figures for under-five child fatalities were 23 from 59 out of 1,000 lives, respectively.

The proportion of malnourished children under five was cut down to 15.3 percent from 41 percent.

Meanwhile, as many as 289,000 women still die every year from complications at birth and 6.6 million children cannot live to see their fifth birthday, including nearly 3 million newborns.

Global leaders showed their special interest in Vietnam’s experience in providing health services to the population and mobilising the people to join the work.

They also expressed their wish to work with Vietnam in fulfilling the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Health minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien delivered a speech at a special meeting of the forum, describing multi-sectoral cooperation as one of the key factors to successfully carry out maternal and child healthcare activities.

She said that the progress made over the past two decades was thanks to the Party and Government’s strategy for developing the health sector, especially in taking care of mothers and children.

On the sidelines of the forum, the minister also worked with her counterpart from the host and African health officials to seek trilateral coordination in the field as part of the South-South cooperation between Vietnam and other regional countries.-VNA