Vietnam attends 44th Int’l Committee of Military Medicine Congress
Vietnam is among the 66 military medical delegations gathering in the Belgian capital city of Brussels for the 44th International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) World Congress held from September 5 – 9.
Colonel Nguyen Van Giang (centre), Deputy Director of the Ministry of National Defence’s Department of Military Medicine, is in Brussels for the 44th International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) World Congress. (Photo: VNA)
Brussels (VNA) – Vietnam is among the 66 militarymedical delegations gathering in the Belgian capital city of Brussels for the 44th International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) World Congress held fromSeptember 5 – 9.
The event marks the ICMM’s 100th anniversary, the celebrations of which were postponed last year because of COVID-19.
This event provides Vietnam with an opportunity to share itsexperience in the field, said Colonel Nguyen Van Giang, Deputy Directorof the Ministry of National Defence’s Department of Military Medicine, who ledthe Vietnamese delegation.
It is focusing its discussions on the global pressing issues,such as fighting epidemics, particularly COVID-19; future trends in surgery; battlefieldemergency care; infection control; nursing; and shock resuscitation, he said.
One of the presentations sparking interest at this year’sevent came from Belgium’s Queen Astrid Military Hospital. It introduced the “phagetherapy” which uses bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections. It isexpected to be an alternative to antibiotics when bacteria develop resistance.
The new method can help combat the rise of antibioticresistance which is now viewed as a major global public health issue, said GeneralPierre Neirinckx, Deputy Secretary General of the ICMM.
Founded in Brussels in 1921, the ICMM now has 119 militarymedical units from different countries and territories worldwide./.
Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang talked via videoconference with his Japanese counterpart Kishi Nobuo on June 3, agreeing to further intensify cooperation in military medicine to combat COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks.
Major General Vu Cuong Quyet, Director of the Ministry of National Defence’s Institute for Defence Strategy, on August 17 attended the opening session of a virtual conference of the Track II Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI).
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.
Colonel Nguyen Van Giang (centre), Deputy Director of the Ministry of National Defence’s Department of Military Medicine, is in Brussels for the 44th International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) World Congress. (Photo: VNA)
