Representatives of Đức Giang General Hospital, the Family Health International (FHI 360) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) at the signing ceremony on December 4. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

HÀ NỘI — Đức Giang General Hospital, the Family Health International (FHI 360) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) signed an agreement on improving nutritional health for mothers and children on December 4.

It aims to increase the rate of initiation of breastfeeding and improve postnatal care for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Đỗ Đình Tùng, Director of Đức Giang General Hospital, said that the signing ceremony is an important milestone in the hospital's international cooperation strategy.

“The three parties will together share a common vision of improving health and nutrition for mothers, children and communities through research-based models that can be replicated domestically and internationally,” said Dr Tùng.

Under the framework of the agreement, Đức Giang General Hospital will organise scientific activities on nutrition for the prevention and treatment of gestational diabetes as well as supporting mothers with GDM to successfully breastfeed and promoting the role of the Mother Milk Bank.

Alive & Thrive, an international organisation managed by Family Health International (FHI 360), will share its expertise in supporting breastfeeding for mothers with GDM and designating pasteurised donated human milk. It will also share its experience on healthy nutrition for pregnant women.

The cooperation is an effort of the Đức Giang General Hospital in developing a ​​​​'Comprehensive gestational diabetes care model' to improve health for pregnant women, especially mothers with GDM.

With the role of providing professional support to five primary hospitals and 22 health stations near major industrial zones in Hà Nội, the comprehensive care model will enhance prevention, early detection, treatment and postnatal monitoring for women with GDM.

This initiative will create practical changes, contributing to building a generation of healthy Vietnamese mothers and children, comprehensively developed and protected from the burden of non-communicable diseases in the future.

In recent decades, Việt Nam has achieved many remarkable sucess in improving maternal and child health, especially in the prevention of infectious diseases and malnutrition. However, along with socio-economic development, changing lifestyles and disease patterns, Việt Nam is facing an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, including GDM.

The rate of GDM has increased sharply from three per cent in 2001 to 27 per cent in 2024, posing major challenges to the health system. Many studies have also shown that women with GDM are at risk of late onset of lactation, have lower milk production capacity, and their babies have higher nutritional needs than normal, so mothers need more support to successfully breastfeed.

Alive & Thrive is a global initiative to save lives, prevent diseases, and ensure the healthy development of mothers and children. Alive & Thrive is managed by Family Health International (FHI 360) and funded by the Gates Foundation, the Government of Ireland, and other donors.

In Việt Nam, Alive & Thrive has been working with the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health to develop breastfeeding-friendly policies and health service systems, deploy the nutrition consulting room model, Breast Milk Bank and Breastfeeding Excellence Hospital towards the goal of improving nutrition for infants, young children and mothers. — VNS