Vietnam calls for WB support in vaccine research, production

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Health Minister Nguyen ThanhLong has proposed the World Bank (WB) provide non-refundable aid to helpVietnam with COVID-19 vaccination, as well as vaccine research and production.

The official made the suggestion at a meeting withWB Regional Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific Victoria Kwakwa and WBCountry Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk on June 29.

Long thanked the WB for its support of public healthcare in Vietnam, and asked for continued help from the bank to the work,especially in COVID-19 prevention and control.

If Vietnam gets loans from the WB, it would build aresearch and development centre for vaccines and medical biological products,and a vaccine factory in service of the Expanded Immunisation Programme, hesaid.

Lauding the effective measures Vietnam has taken inthe pandemic combat, Kwakwa said the country should roll out a vaccine strategyin tandem with the measures.

At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese ministries and agencies need to coordinateto mobilise unused capital in WB projects in Vietnam, along with other forms ofaid and loans, to quickly design a new project for the domestic medical sector,she suggested.

Kwakwa stressed that the WB will work to urgevaccine producers and the COVAX Facility to speed up the supply and delivery ofCOVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam as scheduled.

Regarding a project on improving Vietnam’s capacityfor training medical workers, Turk said the project has completed set targets,and is expected to be wrapped up by the year-end./.

VNA