Free X-rays for people at high-risk of contracting TB are provided by a project administered by the HCMC Public Health Association with Phạm Ngọc  Thạch Hospital. VNS/Photo.Gia Lộc

HCM CITY  Four more hospitals have been asked to join the city's tuberculosis (TB) prevention programme and treat patients with the disease.

The hospitals include the Sài Gòn General Hospital, FV Hospital, Vũ Anh International General Hospital, and Hòa Hảo Medical Diagnosis Centre.

According to Dr Nguyễn Hữu Lân, the deputy head of the city's steering committee for TB prevention programme, five public and private hospitals currently admit and treat these patients, including the Phổi Việt-Centre of Respiratory Disease Treatment, Military Hospital 175, April 30 Hospital, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and Sài Gòn Hoàn Mỹ General Hospital.

Other hospitals provide short treatment periods of fewer than 21 days. These include the University Medical Centre, Chợ Rẫy Hospital, An Bình Hospital, Paediatrics Hospitals 1 and 2, and Xuyên Á General Hospital.

These hospitals have contributed to increased detection of new incidences of TB. The number of newly detected cases accounts for 30 per cent of the city’s total. Nearly 16 per cent to 19 per cent of the total are treated at these hospitals.

More than 350 private clinics are also working with the committee, which will cooperate with the city's Public Health Association to expand TB treatment to all 24 districts. The project is currently being carried out in 8 districts including Gò Vấp.

Dr Nguyễn Trung Hòa, director of Gò Vấp District Health Centre, said that medical clinics taking part in the project are paid VNĐ200,000 for each TB detection. The centre pays clinics for drugs and X-rays, and patients pay their additional treatment costs.

Việt Nam aims to reduce the prevalence of patients with TB to under 131 per 100,000 and the ratio of people dying due to TB to under 10 per 100,000 by 2020.

The country also targets reducing the rate of patients with multidrug-resistant TB to less than 5 per cent of total new incidences nationwide. VNS