Fight against TB needs active engagement of all people: expert
A lung expert has called for more active public participation in tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control to eradicate the disease from Vietnam by 2030.
A nurse tends to a TB patient at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A lung expert has called for moreactive public participation in tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control toeradicate the disease from Vietnam by 2030.
The appeal was made by Director of the NationalLung Hospital and Chairman of the Vietnam Lung Association Nguyen Viet Nhung ata press meeting on March 19 ahead of the World TB Day (March 24).
He noted that TB is a communicable but curabledisease, adding that if the TB fight receives due attention and involvesall-level authorities, sectors and the whole community, the goal of eradicatingTB by 2030 is completely achievable.
In Vietnam, up to 174,000 people are infectedwith TB bacteria and 13,000 die of the disease each year. More than 100,000 TBpatients are diagnosed and sent for treatment annually.
This means the rate of detected and reportedpatients is just 57 percent, Nhung said.
He added that the recovery rate is high – morethan 90 percent of new patients, 75 percent of multidrug-resistant TB patientsusing long-term treatment regimens, and 80 percent of multidrug-resistant TBpatients using short-term treatment regimens.
Around the globe, the recovery rate is 85percent among new patients and 56 percent among multidrug-resistant TBpatients.
New technologies, drugs and treatment approachesfrom around the world have been applied in Vietnam and proved highly effective,even for multidrug-resistant TB and super extensively multidrug-resistant TBpatients, according to the expert.
In response to this year’s World TB Day, due to thecomplex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Lung Hospital andthe Vietnam Lung Association decided to organise a teleconference on the issuewith authorities of all the 63 provincial-level localities and internationalorganisations.
Youth and women’s unions to combat TB will alsobe set up with a view to equipping 10 million young people, 20 million womenand all primary students with knowledge and skills about TB prevention andcontrol. Besides, a text message campaign will also be launched to call fordonations to support a fund for TB patients./.
Delegates at a conference in Hanoi on August 15 discussed measures to complete tuberculosis (TB) treatment facilities in 15 provinces that have yet to build special hospitals for this disease.
On February 27, 1955, late President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to a conference of health care workers across the country. The 368-word letter asked for three things: to stay honest and united, love patients, and devoted to developing the country’s healthcare sector. Since then February 27 has been known as Vietnamese Doctors’ Day.
Detecting tuberculosis (TB) cases at an early date requires efforts of not only the health sector but also the entire community, heard a meeting of the National Steering Committee for TB Prevention and Control in Hanoi on March 9.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A nurse tends to a TB patient at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA) 
