Vietnam highly values WHO’s close technical partnership: official

Geneva (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong affirmed Vietnam’s appreciation of the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s close technical partnership with its Government, while attending the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA76) in Geneva on May 23.

In her remarks, Huong said the WHA76 takes place in coincidence with many important milestones of the World Health Organisation (WHO), including its 75th founding anniversary.

Vietnam has gained a number of major healthcare achievements, including the average life expectancy raised to over 75. It has also been pressing on with reforming the health sector to meet medical demand in the future, especially amid fast socio-economic development and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, she noted.

Mentioning WHO’s recent declaration of the end to the COVID-19 pandemic as global health emergency of international concern, the Deputy Minister said Vietnam quickly carried out a large-scale vaccination campaign in 2021 and 2022 and has ensured vaccine access nationwide.

She cited statistics as showing that the country has reached an average of 273.7 administered doses of COVID-19 vaccines every 100 people, 1.6 times the global average of 170.1 and also higher than most developed nations. The rate of people fully vaccinated with primary doses is 1.4 times while the rate of those given booster doses doubles the world’s respective averages.

Thanks to these efforts, since the beginning of 2022, Vietnam has shifted to a period of sustainably managing the pandemic, which means balancing socio-economic development and public health measures to protect vulnerable groups and the healthcare system, Huong went on.

Highlighting WHO’s close technical partnership with the Vietnamese Government, the official added the country is proud of all the health achievements obtained with support from WHO during the pandemic and over the past years, and hopes to continue this partnership./.