AstraZeneca’s health ties earn recognition

AstraZeneca Vietnam being handed the Award of Excellence from the Ministry of Health

The award was presented to ­AstraZeneca’s team in Vietnam, recognising employee passion for ­patient centricity in the pursuit of ­becoming a trusted healthcare partner by the Vietnamese government.

Nitin Kapoor, country president of ­AstraZeneca Vietnam

“AstraZeneca is honoured to ­receive this award from the minister of Health at the milestone of our 25-year journey in Vietnam,” said Nitin Kapoor, country president of ­AstraZeneca Vietnam. “We are proud of our partnership with the Vietnamese government and healthcare organisations that place people’s health as a top priority. We are passionate about ­transforming the lives of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, and asthma.”

In May, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and top government leaders visited AstraZeneca’s pharmaceutical plant in Södertälje as part of activities of his official visit to Sweden.

Earlier in the year, AstraZeneca was named among the top 100 best places to work in Vietnam in 2018, ­according to a survey conducted by Anphabe Human Resource Consulting Company in collaboration with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Leading research and development

As an innovation-led biopharmaceutical corporation, AstraZeneca has remained aware of its core mission to focus on research and development to deliver scientific innovations to patients. In 2018, AstraZeneca moved from 15th position to number one in the annual Global Pharmaceutical Innovation Index.

In Vietnam, AstraZeneca is the leading enterprise in the amount of ­research and total investment value for clinical trial research over the past 10 years. Currently, AstraZeneca is collaborating in clinical trials with partners through its robust network of more than 130 research sites nationwide of which the National Cancer Hospital (K Hospital) is one of the key partners. In April, British Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific Natalie Black and British Ambassador Gareth Ward paid a visit to the Cancer Research and Clinical Trial Centre at K Hospital to discuss further on collaboration with AstraZeneca in science research and training.

Collaboration to fight NCDs

Over the years, AstraZeneca Vietnam has supported the Vietnamese government’s efforts and aided health partners in addressing NCDs to improve people’s health through many practical partnership activities.

Healthy Lung Programme – the group co-operated with the Department of Medical Service Administration under the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the Healthy Lung Programme to establish and improve 150 units of outpatient management quality for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease around the country.

It also aimed to enhance patients’ access to innovative medicines and the healthcare system through the improvement of early diagnosis, treatment, and proper management; provide respiratory machines, spirometers, neb stations, and training to doctors; and organise scientific seminars to provide continuous medical education for healthcare practitioners, as well as free screening for patients.

Young Health Programme – AstraZeneca’s global sustainability programme has rolled out in Vietnam with the aim of protecting health and improving the quality of life for young Vietnamese people.

The programme has been co-operating with Plan International to partner with the National Youth Centre and the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control, directly providing health education to 46,000 young people and 100,000 others indirectly on risk factors surrounding NCDs to pursue healthy lifestyles in diet and exercise.

Moreover, in partnership with the MoH, the Vietnam Young Physicians Association, and the Youth Union, AstraZeneca Vietnam has supported the World Health Day in various cities across the country to raise awareness about NCDs in the community.

Contributing to the development of Vietnam’s healthcare system

Along with participating in social responsibility programmes, AstraZeneca has been a trusted partner of Vietnam’s health sector in domestic and overseas training to support capacity building of doctors and pharmacists in hospitals, especially at grassroots level, to raise early diagnosis and provide the correct treatment for patients.

The company has funded testing for non-small cell lung cancer patients, enabling patients to have access to high-quality diagnostic tests via the lab expansion programme, and an evaluation programme of the European molecular quality management network.

AstraZeneca Vietnam has also been collaborating with institutional partners to organise meetings to exchange scientific knowledge and medical training; update advanced medical information; provide continual medical education; and share best clinical practices in the community. Particularly for the Healthy Lung Programme, AstraZeneca Vietnam has provided continual medical education for more than 2,500 healthcare practitioners.

AstraZeneca is focused on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in the therapy areas of oncology, cardiovascular, and renal, metabolism, and respiratory.

AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.