More efforts taken to push back tuberculosis

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Delegates at a conference in Hanoi on August 15 discussed
measures to complete (TB) in 15 provinces
that have yet to build special hospitals for this disease.

Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Director of the
and head of the , suggested the localities that
are constructing TB hospitals soon put these facilities into operation.

Meanwhile, other provinces should set up TB and lung centres equipped with
patient beds, TB and lung centres or departments at general hospitals, and TB
or TB-HIV departments at provincial disease control centres, he said.

The conference was held in the context that Vietnam is ranked 16 among 30
countries worldwide with the highest number of TB patients, and 15 out of 30 countries
with the highest multidrug-resistant TB burden.

Globally, TB is the second leading cause of deaths among infectious diseases,
killing about 1.6 million people each year.

Each
day, nearly 4,500 people lose
their lives due to TB and close to 30,000 people contract this
preventable and curable disease, according to the World Health Organisation
(WHO).

In Vietnam, the number of TB patients dropped by 31 percent between 2007-2017.

The figure fell more rapidly in recent years, especially after the Prime
Minister issued the National Strategy for TB Prevention and Control by 2020
with a vision towards 2030.

The resolution adopted at the sixth plenum of the 12th Party Central
Committee also sets the target of basically putting an end to TB in Vietnam by
2030.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently approved the
establishment of a national committee on TB eradication.

Headed
by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, the committee is designed to have a
maximum of 20 members. Its operation will be supported by the same apparatus
that has been running projects for the National Committee for AIDS, Drugs and
Prostitution Prevention and Control.-VNA