Denmark, Vietnam continue to improve diabetes diagnosis, treatment

Denmark will continue to help the Ministry of Health improve the quality of examination and treatment of chronic diseases, especially diabetes, towards a better quality of life for patients in Vietnam as part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 24.

Delegates sign a Memorandum of Understanding on improving the quality of examinations and treatments of chronic diseases in Vietnam until 2026. (Photo: VNA)
Delegates sign a Memorandum of Understanding on improving the quality of examinations and treatments of chronic diseases in Vietnam until 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Denmark will continue to help the Ministry of Health improve the quality of examination and treatment of chronic diseases, especially diabetes, towards a better quality of life for patients in Vietnam as part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 24.

The cooperation will be jointly implemented by the health ministry’s Medical Services Administration (MSA), with technical support from the Danish Embassy in Vietnam and professional and financial support from the Vietnam Pediatric Association and Novo Nordisk Vietnam from June 2024 to June 2026.

The programme will focus activities on facilitating knowledge exchange, strengthening medical training, information exchange and experience sharing on non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes and obesity and developing and updating medical professional guidelines and addressing treatment gaps.

To improve medical capacity for all levels, including non-communicable disease prevention, the MSA has coordinated with the Danish Embassy in Vietnam on a programme for medical training.

The programme has achieved remarkable results in improving the capacity of 4,500 general and specialised doctors nationwide on diabetes and obesity. The cooperation helped develop professional guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes, non-communicable diseases in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, obesity and type 1 diabetes.

It also helped build a website to educate patients and the public about diabetes, developing educational materials and organising valuable online consultation sessions on non-communicable diseases for people.

Diabetes is a public health threat worldwide as well as in Vietnam. According to statistics from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2021, there are an estimated 537 million adults in the world living with diabetes. This number is expected to increase to 783 million people by 2045. However, up to half of people with diabetes are undiagnosed and many people are living with type 2 diabetes without being aware of their condition.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for 90% of diabetes in children. In Vietnam, there is currently no complete data on the epidemiology of type 1 diabetes in children. Data from children's tertiary hospitals shows that there are nearly 2,000 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an increasing number nationwide over the past seven years, according to the Ministry of Health./.

VNA

See more

Patients register at the reception desk upon arrival for medical examination. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City targets free basic hospital fees for residents by 2030

Under the programme, the southern largest economic hub has set several key health targets to be achieved by 2030. The average height of children and adolescents under 18 is expected to increase by at least 1.5cm, while the average life expectancy of residents is projected to reach around 77 years, including at least 68 years of healthy living.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam extends greetings to leaders and staff of the Hanoi – Vientiane General Hospital on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day on February 27. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese doctors in Laos help foster bilateral solidarity

Commending the Hanoi – Vientiane General Hospital’s 13-year development, Ambassador Nguyen Minh Tam noted that prioritising conscience and virtue has helped it build a strong reputation among Lao citizens, the Vietnamese community and international friends in Laos.

Organ transplantation at the University Medical Centre Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: the University Medical Centre Ho Chi Minh City)

Professional excellence, dedication define Vietnam’s healthcare system

When patients pull through from the brink of death, when their vital signs stabilise and transplanted hearts begin beating strongly in new bodies, the joy shared by the entire medical team is overwhelming. And when the country welcomes the New Year, saving lives takes on an even more profound significance — offering patients and their families a new spring of hope.

At Phu Rieng communal medical station in Dong Nai province (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam fosters maternal and child healthcare, advances toward 2035 goals

The under-five mortality rate in Vietnam in 2025 was estimated at below 16 per 1,000 live births, more than three times lower than the 1990 level. The infant mortality rate (under one year) declined fourfold to below 11 per 1,000, while the neonatal mortality rate dropped fivefold, from 44 per 1,000 in 1990 to 8.8 per 1,000 in 2025.

Medicine support programmes provide significant benefits to patients throughout their course of treatment. (Photo: VNA)

Over 6,000 patients receive free medicines

The schemes focus primarily on cancer, rare diseases and severe chronic conditions, areas where treatment costs are high and often require expensive biological and originator drugs.

A lung transplant surgery at the National Lung Hospital (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam reaches new height in organ transplantation

From demanding cross-country transplants to highly specialised procedures nearing regional and international standards, the sector has created new chances of survival for thousands of patients. However, persistent bottlenecks in organ donation and the legal framework highlight the urgent need to further perfect the national donation–transplantation system. In the era of advanced medicine, progress is measured not only by surgical mastery, but also by the ability to turn loss into hope and sustain life.

The DAV asks pharmacy producers and distributors to increase medicine supply capacity during Tet to meet increasing demand (Photo: VNA)

Measures rolled out to ensure adequate medicine supply during Tet

Accordingly, provincial and municipal health departments are required to direct hospitals, centres for disease control and health care facilities to urgently develop plans and carry out medicine procurement to ensure sufficient supply, absolutely avoiding shortages. Medicines must meet quality standards and be sold at reasonable prices, with no sudden price increases allowed.

Military doctors conduct ultrasound examinations for residents in Dong Dang town, Cao Loc district, Lang Son province. (Photo: VNA)

Resolution 72 opens path to a modern, sustainable healthcare system

To build a resilient healthcare system capable of meeting the challenges of ageing, emerging diseases and rising expectations for quality care, Vietnam must continue to strengthen primary and preventive care, invest in human resources, accelerate digitalisation and big data development, and refine healthcare financing mechanisms.

Vietnam steps up Nipah virus prevention at border gates (Photo: suckhoedoisong.vn)

Vietnam tightens Nipah virus prevention at border gates

Local authorities have been instructed to strengthen disease prevention and control measures at border gates, medical facilities and in the community, stay updated with global disease information, and closely monitor inbound travellers.

Nipah virus infection is designated a Group A infectious disease, with reported fatality rates of between 40 and 75%. (Photo: moh.gov.vn)

Health sector steps up preparedness against Nipah virus disease

Nipah virus infection is designated a Group A infectious disease, with reported fatality rates of between 40 and 75%. At present, no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment is available. The virus is mainly transmitted from animals to humans or through contact with contaminated food and objects, and can also spread between people via direct contact with bodily fluids and secretions of infected patients.

Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: VNA)

Health minister highlights comprehensive, people-centred healthcare orientation

Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said the Politburo's Resolution No. 72 provides a breakthrough orientation for the protection, care and improvement of the people’s health. It places the people’s health at the centre of all healthcare policies and services, while aiming to address long-standing bottlenecks in the health sector that have yet to be fundamentally resolved.