Vietnam bolsters cooperation in diabetes prevention

A Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien attended the Ministerial Conference on Diabetes in Singapore on November 26-27.
Vietnam bolsters cooperation in diabetes prevention ảnh 1Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien (Photo: VNA)
Singapore (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegationled by Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien attended the MinisterialConference on Diabetes in Singapore on November 26-27.

The event drew the participation of 300delegates, including health ministers, senior government officials, academics,and experts from 18 countries and territories.

Speaking at the conference, Tien said Vietnam isfacing a huge burden of non-communicable diseases in general and diabetes inparticular, adding that diabetes accounts for 4 percent of the country’s totaldeath figures.

The rate of people with diabetes in Vietnam hasdoubled in 10 years, currently standing at 3 million people. The disease is alsoamong the 10 major causes of disabilities in both males and females over theyears, she noted. 

This year, the country launched the VietnamHealth Programme, focusing on 11 prioritised fields to improve people’swell-being, address factors such as nutrition, physical activity, and the preventionof harmful substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and beer.

To enhance the prevention, screening, andtreatment of diabetes, Vietnam has paid due attention to technologicalapplication in health information provision, as well as work to improveindividuals’ behavioural capabilities in management and healthcare, she said.

In particular, the country has built a portalfor the national health plan to raise public awareness and bolster guidance forpeople to assess health risks, discover their diseases, and take care of theirhealth.

Accordingly, Vietnam looks to cooperate withother countries to share information, update new technology, and learn of the bestpractices in technology application and behavioural science in prevention ofnon-communicable diseases and diabetes, said the Health Minister.

Participantsat the conference also called for more cooperation among countries inpreventing diabetes in order to reduce the cost burden on patients andcountries’ welfare systems.

Accordingto the World Health Organisation’s statistics, an estimated 8.5 percent ofadults in the world, or 422 million people, live with diabetes. –VNA 
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