Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn speaks at the event on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam remains one of the countries with the highest tuberculosis (TB) burdens globally, health officials warned on Monday, as dwindling international funding complicates efforts to curb the disease.

The remarks were made during a World Tuberculosis Day event at Hà Nội's National Lung Hospital, themed 'Việt Nam Commits, Invests and Acts to End TB.'

National Lung Hospital Director Đinh Văn Lượng said the National Tuberculosis Control Programme achieved its "best-ever results" in 2024 with a national treatment success rate of 89 per cent, surpassing the global average of 88 per cent.

However, he noted that 113,000 TB cases were detected, a 7 per cent year-on-year increase, with over 72 per cent showing bacteriological evidence, signalling ongoing transmission risks.

Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn acknowledged "significant achievements" but warned that Việt Nam's TB response faces mounting obstacles, including reduced international financial support and administrative delays in approving medicines and medical supplies.

"The rate of active TB detection among high-risk groups and the cure rate for bacteriologically confirmed TB patients remain below targets," said Thuấn.

The World Health Organization estimates that Việt Nam records approximately 182,000 new TB cases annually, including 9,900 drug-resistant infections, with 11,000 deaths linked to the disease.

In 2023, Việt Nam ranked 12th among the 30 high-burden TB countries globally and 10th for drug-resistant cases.

Lượng urged Việt Nam to diversify funding sources through health insurance, government budgets and private-sector partnerships to offset declining international aid.

He also called for mandatory TB training and certification for physicians and routine TB screening at workplaces and health facilities.

To meet the goal of eliminating TB by 2035, the Ministry of Health urged local health authorities to combat the stigma against TB patients and promote scientific research, international collaboration, and advanced technologies like gene sequencing for diagnosis and treatment. — VNS