Vietnam Health Ministry and Abbott signed MoU for nutrition improvement

By Tuan Minh 10:01, 2016/09/23

On September 21, Vietnam`s Ministry of Health and the US-based Abbott Company signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in two projects to improve the quality of clinical nutrition at hospitals and among pregnant and nursing women.

The signing ceremony

At the signing ceremony, both Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Tien, Deputy Minister of Health, and Brett Blackshaw from the US Embassy in Vietnam held that the projects will help reduce the malnutrition ratio in Vietnam as well as enhance the health of patients and raise the efficacy of treatment in hospitals.

According to head of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Luong Ngoc Khue, the National Strategy on Nutrition for the 2011-2020 period with a vision to 2030 has targeted the restoration and development of a clinical nutrition system and hospital regulations in the field to give better nutrition care for specific groups.

The project to improve the clinical nutrition quality will focus on building a Quality Improvement Programme in Vietnam (VN QIP), which comprises tools for nutrition screening and a nutrition assessment process for patients at hospitals, together with training courses and guiding documents for health staff.

Meanwhile, the project to better nutrition conditions among pregnant and nursing women aims to design a national manual on nutrition for the targeted groups, while enhancing capacity and knowledge of nutrition for caregivers as well as officials of the Vietnam Women’s Union through the popularisation of the document.

Statistics showed that the ratio of underweight among under-five-year-old children in Vietnam has reduced rapidly and stably. However, the percentage of stunted children remained high, mostly due to malnutrition-caused vitamin deficiency suffered by their mothers during pregnancy and nursing.

According to the National Institute of Nutrition, in 2014, 24.9 percent of children in Vietnam were stunted, while the ratio of pregnant woman with insufficient zinc provision was 80.3 percent, and those with anaemia were 32.8 percent.

Enteral nutrition should be started as soon as possible. Excessive and insufficient calorie intakes are deleterious in ICU patients. Energy and protein deficits are associated with morbidity and mortality. It is important for optimal energy and protein homeostasis.

A worldwide survey showed that calorie and protein administration reached only 44-52 percent of the prescribed amount. Overall enteral nutrition is more beneficial than parenteral nutrition alone. When enteral nutrition does not meet 60 percent of nutritional needs, parenteral nutrition should be added.

The expansion of Abbott’s drug business in Vietnam builds on its leading position in nutrition and a strong portfolio in medical devices and diagnostics. The acquisition also makes Abbott one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in Vietnam.

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