Vietnam is facing a huge burden of non-communicable diseases in general and diabetes in particular, adding that diabetes accounts for 4 per cent of the country’s total death figures, stated Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien in the Ministerial Conference on Diabetes held in Singapore on November 26-27.

Speaking at the conference, Tien said the rate of people with diabetes in Vietnam has doubled in 10 years, currently standing at 3 million people. According to the Minister, the disease is also among the 10 major causes of disabilities in both males and females over the years.

At the conference. Photo: prnasia.com

This year marked the launching of the Vietnam Health Program which focuses on 11 prioritized fields to improve people’s well-being, address factors such as nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of harmful substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and beer.

To enhance the prevention, screening, and treatment of diabetes, Vietnam has paid due attention to technological application in health information provision, as well as work to improve inpiduals’ behavioral capabilities in management and healthcare, Tien said.

In particular, the country has built a portal for the national health plan to raise public awareness and bolster guidance for people to assess health risks, discover their diseases, and take care of their health.

Accordingly, Vietnam looks to cooperate with other countries to share information, update new technology, and learn of the best practices in technology application and behavioral science in prevention of non-communicable diseases and diabetes, said the Health Minister.

Participants at the conference also called for more cooperation among countries in preventing diabetes in order to reduce the cost burden on patients and countries’ welfare systems.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified non-communicable diseases (NCD), including diabetes, as the leading cause of death and disability globally. NCDs are responsible for 71 per cent of all deaths worldwide, MOH said citing WHO figures. According to WHO statistics, an estimated 8.5 per cent of adults in the world, or 422 million people, live with diabetes.

In 2016, Singapore, the host country of Ministerial Conference on Diabetes 2018 declared a War on Diabetes to rally the nation in creating a supportive environment to prevent the disease and living well with proper management of it. Currently more than 450,000 Singaporeans are living with the condition./.

( VNF )