Phu Tho: About 3,340 people receive free heart health screenings

Nearly 3,340 people received screening examinations for cardiovascular diseases during a humanitarian programme which took place in the northern province of Phu Tho on July 14-15 (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Phu Tho (VNA) – Nearly 3,340 people received screening examinations for cardiovascular diseases during a humanitarian programme which took place in the northern province of Phu Tho on July 14-15.

The programme was jointly held by the Phu Tho General Hospital, the Hanoi Heart Hospital, and the Phu Tho branch of military telecom group Viettel. More than 100 medical personnel from the Phu Tho general hospital participated in the programme.

As a result of the screenings, 257 people were diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, 41 underwent surgery, while 36 others were hospitalised.

Doctor Ngo Huu Ha, Deputy Director of the Phu Tho General Hospital, said the free screenings for cardiovascular diseases helped people in remote and mountainous areas gain access to the sector’s leading experts and modern equipment. Local residents were provided with the necessary diagnoses for timely counselling and treatment, he added.

A cardiovascular health screening programme for children under 16 years old will be organised in the province during July 28-29.

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief representative in Vietnam Kidong Park said high blood pressure and diabetes, which can easily be diagnosed and treated at grassroots medical stations, are the most prevalent of cardiovascular and non-communicable diseases in Vietnam and across the world.

Statistics in 2015 showed that in Vietnam alone, only 43.1 percent of high blood pressure patients were diagnosed, and only 13.6 percent treated at medical stations. -VNA