Illustrative image (Source: vietnamnet)Over 450 scientists and managers working in preventive health nationwide gathered at a conference in Hanoi on October 2 to seek ways to increase the sector’s efficiency.
Co-hosted by the National Institute of Hygiene Epidemiology and the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine, the event also saw the participation of representatives from the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Japan’s Nagasaki Institute of Tropical Medicine.
Participants heard over 80 reports focusing on issues related to community health and public healthcare.
The information discussed at the conference contributed to raising public awareness of the importance of disease prevention, including infectious and uninfectious diseases.
Foreign scientists updated participants on new communicable diseases and global health security.
Dealing with the seasonal flu and pandemic influenza was the main focus of the conference with nearly 20 reports.
Additionally, attendees also reported on and discussed measures to prevent dengue, hand-foot-mouth disease, HIV/AIDS, measles, rubella, rabies, diarrhoea and bacterial contamination diseases.
Other issues such as nutrition-related pathologies for mothers and children, pathologies for the elderly, job- and environment-related illnesses, food sanitation, and gender equality in community health care were also on table.
According to President of the Vietnam General Medical Association Pham Manh Hung, macro elements are affecting health care in general and preventive health in particular.
He underlined the need to renew organisation and operation methods of the health care system, which he said will help improve the efficiency of the preventive medicine.-VNA
