Hanoi: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recently ordered efforts to be exerted to enhance the tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control efforts.

His recent dispatch in this regard said TB prevention and control activities have achieved commendable results in recent years. On an annual basis, over 100,000 TB patients are detected, with a treatment success rate exceeding 90% and the rate of detection quickly recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the annual death toll remains high, at approximately 13,000, while many cases within the community remain undetected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s 2023 report, the TB situation in Vietnam is still severe, ranking 11th out of the 30 countries burdened with the disease and the highest drug-resistant TB rate globally.

The PM urged ministries, sectors, central and local authorities to thoroughly implement the national TB prevention and control strategy. Communications work is considered a long-term and important task for the entire political
system from central to grassroots levels, with the healthcare sector being the cornerstone.

Among the several tasks assigned by the leader, chairpersons of the People’s Committees of centrally-run localities are instructed to strengthen the capacity of the healthcare system in diagnosing and treating the disease, while effectively implementing community-based TB prevention and control measures.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health is requested to finalise and issue guidelines for the detection of TB, latent TB, and some respiratory diseases in the community and healthcare facilities. Additionally, there is a need to enhance international cooperation and ensure domestic resources, especially medicine./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency