Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien (fourth, left) presents a gift to Mario Raviglione after a meeting in Geneva (Photo: VNA)Geneva (VNA) – Minister of Health Nguyen Thi KimTien has been invited to share Vietnam’s experience and success lessons ontuberculosis (TB) prevention at a WHO global conference on the fight against TBin Moscow, Russia, this November.
The invitation was made by Mario Raviglione,Director of the Global TB Programme at the WHO, at a meeting with Tien on thesidelines of a session of the WHO Executive Board, of which Vietnam has been amember since 2016, in Geneva on January 24.
On behalf of the WHO, Mario Raviglioneappreciated Tien and the Vietnamese delegation’s special assistance to the TBfight in the country and around the world.
He also pledged the best possible support toVietnam in this fight.
Vietnam, as one of the countries implementing anational TB control programme, has closely liaised with the WHO and the GlobalTB Programme. The two sides plan to co-organise a policy dialogue on TB andmultidrug-resistant TB within the framework of the APEC Economic Leaders’Meeting slated for August this year.
The dialogue is set to focus on enhancing thefight against TB and multidrug-resistant TB in the APEC economies.
Nguyen Viet Nhung, Director of the centralhospital of TB and lung diseases, said political commitment is the mostimportant factor in the success of an anti-TB programme.
To reach a political commitment, policy makers,Government leaders and the health ministry in each country must be fully awareof the importance of the TB fight. And the APEC forum is the best opportunityto draw their attention to this dangerous communicable disease, he added.-VNA
VNA
