Prof. Ngô Quý Châu, President of Việt Nam Respiratory Society speaks at a workshop to review outcomes of the Healthy Lung programme after 12 months implementation in Việt Nam. — Photo AstraZeneca Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — A programme on asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) management in Việt Nam has gained remarkable results in reducing the hospitalisation rate of patients in Hải Phòng.

The 3-year programme, entitled Healthy Lung programme, is implemented by the Ministry of Health’s Medical Service Administration (MSA) and AstraZeneca Việt Nam to improve the quality of outpatient management of asthma and COPD in nine countries in Asia, including Việt Nam since 2017.

After 12 months of implementation, the hospitalisation rate of asthma patients has reduced from 29.3 per cent to 6.2 per cent while the hospitalisation rate of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients also decreased from 51 per cent to 32 per cent at the Hải Phòng Tuberculosis & Lung Hospital.

The number of patients the programme helped to partly control asthma increased by 50 per cent, while there is an increase of 28.1 per cent in patients who can fully control the disease. Overall, the programme has delivered significant reductions in uncontrolled cases by 78.1 per cent.

The programme has addressed current gaps in asthma and COPD management by contributing to the creation of national guidelines for asthma and COPD management which has been applied in the Healthy Lung programme from 2017-20.

The programme established 65 centres of excellence, known as UMAC (Unit of Management for Asthma and COPD) nationwide.  In addition, the programme helped to manage more than 89,000 patients with asthma and COPD, diagnosed 4,642 people at risk of the respiratory disease, and educated more than 11,325 patients through patient clubs about the management of asthma and COPD. It also provided continuous medical training for more than 1,410 healthcare professionals (HCPs), with 94 HCPs and nurses certified.

The outcome of the Healthy Lung programme has been introduced at of the 24th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR 2019) that is taking place in Hà Nội from November 14 to 17.

“Healthy Lung with its UMAC model is a prime example of how respiratory disease management can be made available to the grass roots level in Việt Nam. As national taskforces continue to expand this model, it’s important to analyse the impact of the programme in terms of its clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness,” said Prof. Ngô Quý Châu, President of Việt Nam Respiratory Society, president of APSR 2019.

“Healthy Lung is part of AstraZeneca’s commitment to improving the healthcare of the Vietnamese people. We are pleased to collaborate with our partners to implement this study with improved outcomes. We will foster this partnership so that the benefits from Healthy Lung can continue to make a positive impact on patients beyond 2020,” said Nitin Kapoor, Company President, AstraZeneca Vietnam & Asia Area Frontier Markets.

In Việt Nam, major Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma and COPD are increasing rapidly, accounting for 73 per cent of all deaths and 66 per cent of the total burden of disease. One of the solutions proposed in the national strategy for prevention and control of NCDs, period 2015-25 is to enhance detection, treatment and management at the community health level for people with cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, COPD, asthma and other NCDs, ensuring the provision of ongoing management, monitoring and care services for patients. — VNS