HCM CITY — The Vietnamese Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology and the American Diabetes Association have kicked off phase two of an international specialised education programme in diabetes, or iSTEP-D.

It will focus on improving diabetes management in hospital as well as out-patient settings.

There will be eight training courses, with 600 physicians attending.

The country has a diabetes incidence of 5.4 per cent, double the figure in 2000. It means nearly five million Vietnamese are diabetic, Assoc Prof Thái Hồng Quang, president of VADE, said.

More than 52 per cent of people with diabetes die because of the disease before the age of 60.

“There is a very urgent need to take action for better diabetes management.

“To quickly improve treatment, VADE regularly updates guidelines for diabetes management.”

Linda Cann, senior vice president of professional services and education at ADA, said: “By creating an opportunity for educational exchange between physicians from the ADA and those from VADE, it is ADA’s hope that the burden of diabetes in Việt Nam will be reduced.”

The partnership with VADE aims to strengthen the capabilities of endocrinologists managing diabetes, she said.

The four training centres are at the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and training centres of Chợ Rẫy Hospital, Bạch Mai Hospital, and the Central Hospital of Endocrinology.

iSTEP-D is a medical education programme aimed at updating standardised practical knowledge in diabetes and thus enhancing the effectiveness of diabetes diagnosis and treatment in Việt Nam. —VNS