Vietnam faces growing TB burden amid declining int’l funding
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 09:45 GMT+7
Vietnam remains one of the countries with the highest tuberculosis burden globally, while decreasing international funding poses challenges to its prevention efforts.
The issue was discussed during a World Tuberculosis Day (March 24) celebration in Hanoi on Monday.
Dinh Van Luong, director of the National Lung Hospital, said the National Tuberculosis Control Program achieved its best results in 2024, with more than 113,000 TB cases detected, a seven-percent increase compared to 2023.
The bacterial evidence rate for TB was over 72 percent, and the successful treatment rate reached 89 percent, surpassing the global average of 88 percent.
However, Luong acknowledged that TB control remains challenging, with the epidemic still a serious issue in Vietnam.
The World Health Organization estimates that Vietnam sees around 182,000 new TB cases annually, including 9,900 drug-resistant cases, and about 11,000 deaths from TB each year.
In 2023, Vietnam ranked 12th among the 30 countries with the highest TB burden and 10th for drug-resistant TB cases.
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| Dinh Van Luong, director of the National Lung Hospital, speaks at the World Tuberculosis Day (March 24) celebration in Hanoi, March 24, 2025. Photo: D.Lieu / Tuoi Tre |
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan noted that despite some progress, tuberculosis prevention and control face significant challenges.
“The rate of proactively detected TB in high-risk groups has not met targets, and the treatment rate for pulmonary TB with bacterial evidence remains below expectations,” Thuan said.
He also highlighted difficulties related to financial resources, particularly from international funding.
“Decreasing budgets, along with complex and time-consuming procedures for securing drugs and medical supplies, are significantly hindering disease detection and treatment efforts,” Thuan emphasized.
Luong urged more proactive investment to combat TB, saying, “Tuberculosis control must be integrated with medical examination and treatment facilities, utilizing financial resources from health insurance, the government budget, and social funding sources.”
He also called for increased community-based TB detection and for all healthcare providers to be trained in TB diagnosis and treatment.
“We propose that the government ensure all medical facilities and doctors are trained in TB detection and treatment, and that TB screening becomes a standard part of annual health check-ups,” Luong added.
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