Abbott vows to be trusted partner to address Vietnam’s healthcare challenges

Daniel Salvadori, Abbott’s executive vice president – Nutritional Products, remarks on the company’s goals and vision for healthcare in Vietnam

Could you please share Abbott’s goals and expectations for its business in Vietnam?

Living a long life brings many benefits, but it requires a careful balance to stay healthy – physically, mentally, and socially. By 2030, more than 35 countries around the world will have super-aged populations, meaning one in five of their population will be 65 or older.

Vietnam now has one of the world’s top 10 fastest-aging populations, and coupled with a higher living standard, the need for quality healthcare products and technologies has been rising for its people.

We work closely with Vietnamese healthcare professionals to offer trusted products for every stage of life ranging from nutrition and diagnostics to medical devices and medicines. We provide optimal nutrition to mothers and their children for a healthy start in life, to active adults for their best performance, and to those with acute or chronic conditions, meeting their distinct and specialised health needs.

Our goal is to ensure Vietnamese people have access to the best science-based nutrition and healthcare products. We are committed to educating consumers, healthcare professionals, and the Vietnamese community while continuing to advance nutritional science and research related to the profound impact nutrition can have in supporting life-long health in all nations, and right here in Vietnam.

How does Abbott view the healthcare situation in the country and what steps are being taken to further build the company’s stance as a long-term partner in Vietnam's development?

Abbott has leveraged our extensive expertise in healthcare to work closely with the Vietnamese government and other Vietnam-based stakeholder agencies to address national healthcare challenges and deliver solutions tailored to local needs for Vietnamese people of all ages. Abbott has brought here advanced technology and breakthrough products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutrition, and medicines.

Committed to sharing its global expertise and tailoring solutions to address Vietnam’s healthcare needs, Abbott has developed a strategic partnership with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health to drive initiatives in the fields of food safety, maternal health, and healthy ageing.

Abbott and our foundation, the Abbott Fund, have provided nearly VND250 billion ($10.8 million) in grants and product donations to address critical health issues, with focus on improving nutrition, training healthcare staff, strengthening health systems, and expanding community education.

We have launched Alinity, a family of systems designed to simplify diagnostics and help doctors deliver results that drive better patient outcomes. This advanced technology has been brought to a number of hospitals in Vietnam, including Medic, Cho Ray, Tu Du, Hung Vuong, and Hospital 103.

Abbott is also advancing the treatment of heart and cardiovascular disease through breakthrough medical technologies. We have introduced MitraClip, a transcatheter-based device to help Vietnamese people with common heart valve disorders. MitraClip has been shown to produce clinically important improvements in all-cause mortality, heart failure-related hospitalisations, and quality of life.

Innovation is the engine driving Abbott’s operations. Could you elaborate on the initiatives with which Abbott has brought to Vietnam its latest scientific achievements?

Abbott has always been an early innovator, moving quickly to address developing health needs, and every day 103,000 of our colleagues – including more than 7,000 employees dedicated to research and development – are serving people in Vietnam and in more than 160 countries around the world.

In the nutrition business, our global team of more than 650 scientists is leading innovation and pioneering the development of scientific breakthroughs in nutritional products, offering people in Vietnam and around the world the optimal nutrition support for their health and vitality. We understand each community has unique needs. Therefore, we are continuously working to bring breakthrough innovations to Vietnam to serve Vietnamese people uniquely.

Abbott is proud to stand behind some of the world’s most trusted nutrition brands, including Ensure for adults, Glucerna for people with diabetes, Similac for both mothers and babies, and PediaSure for children. Abbott’s products not only help children grow and keep adult bodies strong and active, but they also support the unique nutritional needs of people with chronic illnesses.

For nearly 25 years, Abbott has been working relentlessly in Vietnam to address healthcare challenges and build a healthy community. Vietnam has been one of the first markets where Abbott’s nutrition business has launched breakthrough products, such as Ensure with HMB to help prevent muscle loss due to ageing, and Similac with HMO to nurture children’s strong immunity and brain development.

Most recently, Abbott launched the new PediaSure, a scientifically designed nutrition solution to further support Vietnamese children to catch-up and sustain growth. It is not only to demonstrate our commitment to the country, but also to reaffirm our goal of working together to prepare for children to reach their optimal growth and unlock their potential.

What are Abbott’s long-term future strategy and investment plans in Vietnam?

Vietnam is important for Abbott. With a deep understanding of the country’s healthcare and nutritional challenges, we are committed to pioneering research and working closely with Vietnamese stakeholders and healthcare experts to help solve the nation’s healthcare challenges. We will further invest in innovating more trusted science-based solutions and products that are more accessible to Vietnamese people.

Vietnam and neighbouring countries face clear healthcare challenges – from childhood malnutrition and stunting to malnourishment and muscle loss in the super-ageing populations. As a global healthcare leader, we understand these challenges. And as a company with scientific heritage, we work closely with our stakeholders to overcome the challenges in order to see the country quite literally grow and succeed through the power of nutrition and health.

In addition, Abbott offers a:care, a one-of-a-kind healthcare ecosystem with a mission to help people achieve better health. Our medicines business has designed this service programme to meet a range of healthcare needs, from prevention to awareness, treatment and motivation.

We are committed to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Vietnam to remain a trusted healthcare partner for the people, their community, and the country as a whole.