MoH and Abbott sign strategic partnership to improve Vietnam’s nutrition status

The partners came together on today in Hanoi to officially sign the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for implementing two nutrition status improvement projects in Vietnam.

The purpose of the first project - “Improvement of nutrition status for pregnant women and lactating mothers” - is to enhance the status of maternal and child nutrition. This is the critical healthcare issue that the parties share mutual interests and wish to cooperate to address. These priorities include development of the National Nutrition Guideline for pregnant women and lactating mothers, enhancing knowledge about nutrition for health care staff and members of Vietnam Women's Union through implementation of National Nutrition Guideline for pregnant women and lactating mothers.

The second project - “Improvement of clinical nutrition in hospitals in Vietnam” - covers areas of cooperation such as developing a quality improvement programme for clinical nutrition to roll out in Vietnam’s hospitals (VN QIP). The programme includes malnutrition screening tools and nutrition assessment process for inpatients in hospitals in Vietnam; providing training courses for QIP practice and clinical nutrition process for health care professionals in hospitals and implementing clinical nutrition guideline in hospitals in Vietnam.

Vietnam faces public health challenges including malnutrition of in-patients, high rates of mother and infant mortality, stunting children below five years old, anemic and zinc deficiency of pregnant women. According to a report of the National Institute of Nutrition, the rate of child stunting in 2014 is 24.9 per cent, the rate of zinc deficiency in pregnant women was 80.3 per cent and that of anemia was 32.8 per cent.

The two MoUs are aligned with the National Strategy on Nutrition for the period 2011-2020, with vision to 2030 approved by the prime minister and the National Action Plan for Healthcare for Maternal, Infant and Child in the period of 2016-2020.

"The MoH highly appreciates the support from Abbott for the cooperation in implementing the National Strategy on Nutrition. These projects will contribute to the improvement of nutrition status for the people, especially to the faster decrease of stunning malnutrition in Vietnam as well as the enhancement of inpatients’ health and clinical treatment efficiency in hospitals,” said Nguyen VietTien, the MoH’s Deputy Minister.

Both MoUs call for collaboration in the form of education and development of national guidelines for the healthcare community such as personnel training, expert delegation exchanges, symposium and workshops for sharing of information and education, which expect to provide healthcare professionals in hospitals across Vietnam with guidelines and protocols to improve nutrition care for their patients that are practical, applicable and backed with strong science researches.

“As a science-based healthcare company, we are dedicated to helping people live the best and fullest life possible. The agreements we sign today with the MoH reinforces Abbott’s continued commitment to Vietnam – to bring practical and relevant guidelines to healthcare professionals, enhance the quality of life of the community and improve public healthcare in Vietnam in the long term,” said Douglas Kuo, general manager of Abbott Vietnam.

The Abbott portfolio in Vietnam includes innovative and high-quality nutrition products and a pharmaceutical manufacturer which the corporate has completed the acquisition early this month. The partnership with the MoH is part of Abbott’s commitments to work with the government and local organisations to find locally driven, sustainable solutions to critical healthcare needs for community.