A medical worker gives examination to a man suffering from a stroke (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Medicine Associationand the Ministry of Health raised the fact that non-communicable diseases(NCDs) are now a leading cause of death in Vietnam at the sixth NationalScientific Conference in Hanoi on November 21.
Participants in the event focused oncardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine – diabetes, and nutrition.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said NCDsare a major cause of death and place disease and socio-economic burdens onVietnam. To curb NCDs, the country issued a strategy for NCDs prevention andcontrol and a national strategy for preventing cancer, cardiovascular diseases,diabetes, chronic obstructive lung disease, bronchial asthma and other NCDs for2011-2015.
However, the rate of NCDs is still risingbecause of environmental pollution, urbanisation and unhealthy lifestyle, shenoted.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Thi Xuyen, Chairwoman ofthe Vietnam Medicine Association said in recent years, the country has beenfaced a growing burden of diseases and death caused by NCDs.
NCDs are currently a leading cause of death in Vietnam, Xuyen said, noting thatseven of 10 deaths are caused by NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,cancer and chronic lung disease.
The country records about 12 million people withhigh blood pressure, nearly 3 million with diabetes, two million with heart andchronic lung diseases, and nearly 120,000 people with cancer every year,accounting for two-thirds of total disease burden. NCDs cause 73 percent of alldeaths each year, and up to 40 percent of the deaths are before the age of 70.
She noted although the health sector has madeefforts to control NCDs, they are still growing at an alarming rate. Sheattributed the fact to people’s low awareness of disease prevention.
About 45 percent of men in the country smoke,and 77 percent of the population drink alcohol. Vietnamese people’s salt intakestill doubles the WHO’s recommended level. Meanwhile, the rate of persons withhigh blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular risks who are detected andreceive treatment remains low, Xuyen added.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs are a big economicburden at present. They are forecast to result in total loss of 47 trillion USDaround the world in the next two decades. -VNA
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