A medical worker gives blood pressure test to an elderly woman (Source: VNA)Can Tho (VNA) – A model tocontrol non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will be launched in Can Tho withsupport from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The information was heard at aworking session between the People’s Committee of the southern city of Can Tho andrepresentatives of the WHO on May 18 in the locality.
The project aims to enhance NCDs detectionand management capacity of local healthcare facilities by providing newequipment and training courses, said Lokky Wai, a representative of the WHO inVietnam, adding that it is expected to reduce pressure on higher-levelfacilities.
After training, local facilitiesare hoped to able to assess, consult and track NCD cases such as obesity,diabetes and high-blood pressure, he noted.
The model will initially becarried out in Long Tuyen and Thoi An Dong wards of in Binh Thuy district andCo Do district’s Thoi Xuan and Trung An communes, before expansion to other sixunits by 2018.
Non-infectious diseases claim the lives ofabout 400,000 Vietnamese people each year, according to Deputy Health MinisterNguyen Thanh Long at a recent conference seeking to prevent and control thediseases.
The number of suffers are rising at analarming level, he stated, revealing that 70 percent of deaths each year arecaused by non-communicable diseases, of whom 40 percent are under 70 years old.
He attributed the fact to the unhealthylifestyle of many Vietnamese, adding that there are currently 49 percent ofmales smoking cigarettes, and 77 percent of the population consuming alcohol.
The Health Ministry has set a target ofdecreasing the rate of deaths caused by non-infectious diseases to 20 percentby 2025.
It also aimed to reduce 30 percent ofsmokers, 10 percent of alcohol users, while cutting down the amount of saltused by 30 percent, controlling the rate of obesity under 15 percent and therate of high blood pressure patients under 30 percent.-VNA
