The
launch was conducted within the framework of a workshop to transfer BMJ’s
professional guidance to Vietnam’s medical check-up and treatment system.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien delivers a speech at a ceremony to launch a new infectious disease related support and training
initiative in Hanoi. Photo: VNS
Attending
the workshop were Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien, UK Ambassador to
Vietnam Giles Lever, representatives from the BMJ and the US’s Defense Threat
Reduction Agency, and leaders and doctors of hospitals in Hanoi.
Speaking
at the event, Deputy Health Minister Tien said improvement of medical services
and overcrowding at hospitals was one of the major priorities of the health
sector in the coming years.
The
cooperation between MSA and BMJ will help the health sector meet the increasing
demand of health care and treatment in Vietnam, he added.
“Today’s
clinicians deal with a wealth of constantly changing information and it is
increasingly difficult to keep the knowledge and practice current. We feel
privileged to be using our international expertise to deliver trusted,
evidence-based knowledge to Vietnam health care professionals,” Mitali
Wroczynski, head of Strategic Partnerships at BMJ, said.
“We
will not only help accelerate progress for a world safe and secure from
infectious disease threats but also establish a comprehensive and sustainable
training and clinical decision support program that will address broader health
care priorities in Vietnam, and support continuing medical education and
professional development,” Wroczynski added.
The
initiative provides health care professionals with evidence-based online tools
and resources, including BMJ Best Practice and BMJ Learning, which together
cover over 90 percent of the most commonly presented conditions across primary
and secondary care. Clinicians will receive online, offline and mobile access
to over 1,000 clinical decision support topics and over 800 online learning
modules. A significant proportion of this content will be translated into
Vietnamese.
The
initiative will help address national notifiable diseases, including Anthrax
and Avian Influenza; diseases of significant concern such as Brucellosis; and
infectious diseases such as HIV, multi-drug resistant TB and Malaria.
However,
the comprehensive coverage provided by the program will play a dual role in
supporting the top health care priorities of Vietnam, including stroke, heart
disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, diabetes, hypertension and
many other non-communicable diseases.
Vietnam
currently has more than 1,300 hospitals and medical facilities with 250,000
beds that serve 150 million visits of outpatients and 15 million inpatients
yearly, according to the health ministry.
Source: VNA