Implement partnership to improve diabetic eye care

Photo: Roche Pharma Vietnam

On October 1, Roche Pharma Vietnam, through Orbis International in Vietnam, handed over a non-mydriatic colour fundus camera with AI-assisted image analysis software to the hospital under the Vietnam Eye Health partnership. A scientific workshop on the comprehensive management model for diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema was also held the same day, with representatives from Vietnam National Eye Hospital and Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital in attendance.

In Vietnam, there are approximately 7 million people aged 30–69 with diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, up to one-third of diabetic patients suffer from retinopathy to some extent. Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema progress silently, are among the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in the working-age population, and place a significant psychological and economic burden on patients and their families. Yet more than 80 per cent of diabetes-related vision loss can be prevented or effectively treated when detected early. The Vietnam Eye Health initiative works to raise public awareness and to establish routine eye examination, at least once a year, for people with diabetes.

Roche Pharma Vietnam signed the Vietnam Eye Health MoU in October 2025 with Medical Service Administration under the Ministry of Health, Vietnam National Eye Hospital, and Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, with Orbis as implementing partner, to co-create systemic improvements in the care of patients with diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema.

Photo: Roche Pharma Vietnam

The programme aims to change from fragmented care by separate specialities to a comprehensive management model, in which Endocrinology, General Medicine, and Ophthalmology follow the same patient along a single pathway, from examination within the same visit to diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up, at provincial and regional general hospitals. The model is intended to enable patients to receive timely care at the local level and to reduce the overload on central-level hospitals.

Following the handover to Ba Ria–Vung Tau Eye Hospital, the deployment at Thu Duc Regional General Hospital brings the model into practice, where it is expected to support capacity building for more than 100 doctors, nurses, and technicians, and more than 20,000 patients across six hospitals will benefit from screening, referral, and timely treatment by the end of 2027.

Burak Pekmezci, general manager of Roche Pharma Vietnam, said, "Roche is committed to partnering to co-create systemic, sustainable improvements in patients' care. We are pleased to contribute to the Vietnam Eye Health initiative, helping people living with diabetic retinopathy by bringing screening, referral, and treatment where patients already receive their regular care."

Photo: Roche Pharma Vietnam

Within the framework of the agreement, all parties are supporting the scheme’s development and implementation. The new fundus camera and AI-assisted image analysis software at Thu Duc Regional General Hospital aim to strengthen local screening capacity and support the national target of having more than 75 per cent of people with diabetes examined and managed for eye complications.

New partnership sharpens focus on diabetic eye care Efforts to tackle preventable blindness in Vietnam have gained new momentum through a public–private partnership focused on diabetic eye diseases.

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