“Girls deserve to shine” concert to held in Hanoi
	3,700 dignity kits presented to women at risk of violence amid COVID-19
	UN population fund earmarks US$540,000 for women, girls affected by floods in central Vietnam

64 fetus monitors along with the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth USD 300,000 to assist Vietnam in ensuring the continuous delivery of quality sexual and reproductive health services amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: UNFPA

UNFPA in Vietnam on January 7 provided over a large quantity of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and 64 fetus monitors worth USD 300,000 to district hospitals in 9 provinces, located in Northern Mountain and Central Highland, as well as some central provinces which have heavily been affected by recent floods, namely Bac Kan, Son La, Lai Chau, Dac Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces.

UNFPA’s support will be delivered to hospitals and other health facilities for immediate use to protect women and girls in disadvantaged areas and those service providers who are helping them.

This essential medical equipment and supplies were delivered to Vietnam’s Ministry of Health in the handover ceremony attended by Phan Le Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Finance of the Ministry of Health, and Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam.

The medical equipment and supplies will be distributed to prioritized district hospitals located in the Northern Mountain and Central Highland, as well as some central provinces which have been heavily affected by the recent floods.

Since the first positive case was reported, the government of Vietnam has taken proactive actions to contain COVID-19. As of January 6, there are 1,505 confirmed cases with 35 deaths.

The subcommittee for treatment reported that 14 more patients have been given the all-clear from the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number of recoveries to 1,353.

A recent UNFPA’s modeling study estimated that in the worst-case scenario, maternal deaths could increase by 65% in the country in 2020, equivalent to additional 443 maternal deaths, as a negative impact of COVID-19. This can reverse the developmental gains that Vietnam has achieved in the last several years, possibly threatening the achievement of SDG 3. As seen globally throughout 2020 and at the beginning of last year in Vietnam, COVID-19 can stretch and overwhelm the health system, and pregnant women tend to postpone or cancel antenatal care visits and other pregnancy-related appointments due to fear of infection. This can prevent the identification of pregnancy risks and complications, which can lead to unnecessary maternal deaths.

“Today, we are delivering medical equipment and supplies to complement the efforts of the Government in containing COVID-19 to make sure essential SRH services are provided in a continuous way. COVID-19 is not yet a matter of the past even in a successful country like Vietnam in containing it. Now is the time to prepare health facilities and workers to protect pregnant women,” said Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam at the handover ceremony.

“Pregnancy and childbirth do not stop in the pandemic situation. Let’s put the brakes on COVID-19 and its negative impact and safeguard the health and the right of women and girls - now”, added Kitahara.

At a State-designated quarantine camp for returnees from abroad in Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Dr. Phan Le Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Planning and Finance Department highly appreciated UNFPA's support and affirmed, “Protecting all people’s health during the COVID-19 epidemic is the top priority of the Government, especially for pregnant women who reside in ethnic minority and disasters affected regions. To protect health workers is vital to effectively combat the COVID-19”.

UNFPA is working to ensure that the supply of modern contraceptives and reproductive health commodities is maintained and that midwives and other health personnel have the personal protective equipment they need to stay safe. Sexual and reproductive health is a human right. UNFPA calls upon its partners to support COVID-19 response to procure and deliver essential supplies for people who are most at risk such as pregnant women and women at risk of gender-based violence./.

Unbalanced sex ratio: 40,800 female births estimated to be missing every year 40,800 FEMALE BIRTHS are estimated to be missing every year in Vietnam, as shown in the unbalanced Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB), according to the ...

Vietnam must be prepared for ageing population: UNFPA According to UNFPA, in Vietnam, the proportion of older persons in the total population has increased to 11.9 per cent in 2017, and will be ...

UNFPA joins hands with MSD to support roll-out of HPV vaccination in Vietnam A new technical collaboration between UNFPA and MSD to support the roll-out of HPV Vaccination in Vietnam.