A blood pressure measuring site at Co.op mart supermarkets. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City’s health sector targets providing screening for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes for 12,500 people aged over 40 by the year end.

The goal was set at a conference discussing the city's project on responses to non-communicable diseases in the 2020-2022 period held last week.

The project is being carried out by the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health with technical assistance from the non-government Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).

It is being implemented in Hà Nội, HCM Ciy and Khánh Hòa Province until December 2022 to increase access to services related to non-communicable disease prevention, and to treatment and care at the primary health care level. The project’s beneficiaries are people aged 40 and over.

In HCM City, the project started in September in District 8 which is home to nearly 180,500 people aged over 40. At all 16 medical stations in District 8, the screening points are used to screen and manage hypertension and diabetes.

The district has 97 collaborators who regularly visit residential areas to talk about hypertension and diabetes in an aim to improve residents’ awareness. The goal is to have around 12,250 people in the district screened for hypertension and diabetes by year end. 

Doctor Nguyễn Hữu Hưng, deputy director of the city Department of Health, said the rate of non-communicable diseases incidences is increasing in the community, but not everyone is aware of the danger level.

In the past, the city implemented many programs to control non-communicable diseases in the community. A typical example was the project "Communities for Healthy Hearts" implemented in 2016 with technical assistance from PATH.

Through blood pressure measuring sites located in residential areas, households, cafes, and hair and nail salons, many people were screened for early detection of high blood pressure.

From this project, people's awareness about high blood pressure improved. The number of people screened for detection, diagnosis and treatment increased at grassroots-level health facilities, he said.

Free blood pressure measuring points, especially at Co.op mart supermarkets, traditional markets, and residential areas, brought positive results.

Dr. Nguyễn Tuyết Nga, chief representative of PATH Office in Việt Nam, said that Việt Nam has around 18.9 per cent of people with hypertension, while 4.1 per cent of people suffer from diabetes and the rate is increasing.

Hypertension and diabetes are silent but extremely dangerous conditions with high mortality rates, Nga said, adding that 8 out of 10 Vietnamese deaths are due to non-communicable diseases.

The prevention and control of non-communicable diseases needs more attention, she said.

In recent years, PATH has co-operated with the Ministry of Health and localities to carry out many projects to control non-communicable diseases in the community, she added. — VNS