Illustrative image (Source: VNA) HCMCity (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City aims to give screenings fornon-communicable diseases (NCD) such as high blood pressure and diabetes to morethan 12,000 local residents aging above 40 in 2020.
Thetarget was given during a recent conference to launch the Transformingthe Non-communicable Disease Response project,which was jointly held by the Ministry of Health’s Department of PreventiveMedicine and non-governmental organisation Programme for Appropriate Technologyin Health (PATH).
Dr.Nguyen Tuyet Nga, Head of PATH Office in Vietnam, said that about 18.9 percentof people in Vietnam are living with high blood pressure, while 4.1 percentsuffer diabetes. The ratios have been on the rise.
Eightin every 10 deaths in Vietnam are caused by non-communicable diseases, shesaid, stressing the need for greater attention to the prevention of thediseases.
Shesaid that in 2020, PATH has coordinated with the Department of PreventiveMedicine to implement the Transforming the Non-communicable DiseaseResponse project in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and central Khanh Hoa province.
Spanningfrom 2020 to the end of 2022, the project aims to enhance access to NCDprevention and treatment services by increasing localities’ engagement and theproject’s sponsorship.
InHCM City, from September this year, the project has been conducted in District8, where is home to about 180,500 people aged above 40.
Screeningservices have been given in 16 local health stations, while 97 volunteers haveengaging in communication activities to raise public awareness of theprevention of the diseases.
Theproject targets providing screenings for about 12,250 people, including about 1,470people diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes getting treatment.
DoctorNguyen Huu Hung, Vice Director of the HCM City Department of Health, said thatNCD is rising among the community, but public awareness of the diseases remainsmodest.
Hesaid that over the years, the city has implemented many programmes to controlthe diseases in the community, including a project to screen for high bloodpressure which has been underway since 2016 with the support ofPATH./.
VNA
