15 June 2020, Hanoi – The World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Office for Viet Nam commended Hai Duong as the local government released its provincial plan for the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Allotted domestic funding of VND 30 billion (~USD 1.3 million), the six-year (2020-2025) plan will focus on the detection and management of hypertension and diabetes at commune level on its first year of implementation, 2020.
The province targets to conduct screening for hypertension and assessment of diabetes risk among at least more than half million adults aged 40 years and above. Services for management of hypertension and diabetes are to be made available at 70% and 50%,
respectively, of the province’s commune health stations – in line with the Ministry of Health’s national targets.
Screening for hypertension at community, Hai Duong province (Photo: Hai Duong CDC)
“COVID-19 has reminded us the importance of protecting our people from the risks of NCDs by investing in programmes that will allow us to do so. Hypertension and diabetes are among the underlying medical conditions of those COVID-19 patients with more severe conditions. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that resources are in place to effectively tackle NCDs. Hai Duong is one of the best role models for having strong political will on this front,” said Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Viet Nam. “Our next challenge is making sure that the province’s investment is cost-effective as we target to reduce the burden of NCD among the people of Hai Duong. WHO is commits to continue supporting the province on this mission,” he added.
“We are delighted to continue strengthening our collaboration with WHO. We have changed our approach to hypertension and diabetes prevention and management following the organization’s guidance – making small change in large scale,” Dr Pham Manh Cuong, Director of Hai Duong Department of Health, remarked.
Estimates show there are about 15 million people suffering from hypertension and diabetes – two of the most common NCDs – in Viet Nam. Only 20-30% of these patients get treatment. As a result, premature deaths and disability caused by NCDs are very high.
Hai Duong is a province in the Red River delta with a population of 1.9 million. Like most of provinces, management of NCDs at commune health stations has remained limited. Although most of its 235 commune health stations provide clinical service for people with hypertension, it is most of the time only one-time treatment, instead of chronic disease management requiring close monitoring and improving outcomes for the patients and coverage in community. On the other hand, none of Hai Duong’s commune health stations provides services for diabetes management.
Apart from support for controlling NCD risk factors, WHO has been actively providing assistance to Viet Nam on NCD management. To address the huge treatment gap, a new approach called, “public health approach”, has been introduced. It aims
to make small change in large scale. Its key points include (1) implementation of only core interventions at commune health stations; (2) assignment system of disease control to oversee implementation of NCD management at commune health stations and
communities; (3) enabling of relevant regulatory framework to be implemented at commune health stations; (4) capacity building for health care workers according to their functions and roles; (5) monitoring of the patient’s outcome progress and
coverage in community; and (6) advocacy for strong commitment from the local government.