Since 2001, the Government of Vietnam has considered diabetes a public health problem. In 2002, the national strategy for preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases was issued. Prevention of diabetes is an essential component of the national strategy.As diabetes has only recently emerged as a severe public health problem, awareness of the disease among the public and health professionals is still low.The level of infrastructure for managing diabetes is poor. Therefore, diabetes is treated incorrectly, in an arbitrary, ineffective way - or even not treated at all.The project aims to improve the quality of diabetes care in four provinces in Vietnam (Thanh Hoa, Thai Binh, Binh Thuan and Dak Lak) through a community approach to prevention, control and management of diabetes.The project has the following central objectives:• Raise awareness of diabetes at a community level• Improve clinical knowledge and skills among medical staff involved in diabetes treatment• Educate people with diabetes in self-management• Find new cases of diabetes• Set up a diabetes association at national and local level
The project builds on an existing collaboration between the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Vietnam and the regional office of the World Health Organization for the Western Pacific (WHO/WPRO). The Endocrinology Hospital is a critical partner in Vietnam.The project will be applied in 2 demonstration provinces, involving 20 districts, 400 commune centres and a population of around 1 million. If the project proves successful, the model may be used throughout Vietnam.A baseline survey was carried out nationally in 2002 focusing on diabetes, its risk factors, the capacity of medical staff and awareness of the prevention of diabetes among people with diabetes and local communities.The baseline survey will be supplemented by data collection on the incidence of diabetes and diabetes control in the two provinces as part of developing the final detailed design of the project implementation phase.The implementation phase focuses on activities such as:• training of medical staff• educating people with diabetes• enhancing community awareness of diabetes, its prevention and complications• setting up a diabetes association nationally and locally• detecting new cases• establishing a system for managing diabetes systematically and effectivelyAt the end of the project, the outcome will be assessed to determine the model's suitability for possible replication throughout Vietnam.
• 16,871 people in Thanh Hoa and 6,267 people in Thai Binh have been screened for diabetes.• 7,223 diabetes patients in Thai Binh and 4,000 patients in Thanh Hoa has been educated in self-management through diabetes clubs.• 100s of health care workers were trained on diabetes management, care and counseling.