American partners and the Ministry of Health are collaborating to build a national accreditation system that certifies the quality of continuing medical education (CME), according to the media release issued by the US Embassy in Vietnam.

In 2009, Vietnam passed the Law of Examination and Treatment, which requires all medical professionals to have 48 hours of CME every two years to maintain their professional license.

CME is part of the national strategy to improve the capacity of health care workers in Vietnam, the media release quoted Todd Pollack, Director of Health Advancement in Vietnam (HAIVN) as saying.

“All health care professionals need access to high quality CME in order to remain up-to-date in their field,” he said.

The ministry has made important strides toward establishing a national CME system and HAIVN is proud to support to set up a system of CME accreditation, he added.

HAIVN, supported by the US President's Emergency Plan Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme, has been working with the Vietnamese ministry to improve medical education of university students and practicing physicians since 2004.-VNA