Representatives of the Medical Service Administration (MSA) under the Ministry of Health, the British Embassy in Việt Nam and the Representative Office of GSK Pte Ltd in Việt Nam sign a healthcare partnership to fight against antimicrobial resistance in Việt Nam in 2021 – 23 in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

HÀ NỘI — A partnership to fight antimicrobial resistance in Việt Nam in the 2021 – 23 period was signed in Hà Nội on Thursday on the occasion of World Antibiotic Awareness Week.

The healthcare partnership was signed between the Medical Service Administration (MSA) under the Ministry of Health, the British Embassy in Việt Nam and the Representative Office of GSK Pte. Ltd. in Việt Nam.

This partnership aims to support the Government of Việt Nam’s long-term strategy articulated in the “National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)” and aligns with the initiatives of the UK Government to support developing countries in solving the AMR problem.

“Implementation of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance for the 2013-20 period and development of a strategy for the next five years are among the most important focuses of the Vietnamese health sector. With the companionship of the UK Government and companies in the health sector like GSK, the fight against antimicrobial resistance in Việt Nam will be approached in a more comprehensive way,” said Associate Professor Lương Ngọc Khuê, MSA director and deputy head of the Việt Nam National Steering Committee for Antimicrobial Resistance.

“On-going medical training programmes for healthcare professionals and awareness raising support, community education are also planned to improve the effectiveness of fighting this medical burden,” added Khuê.

Through the partnership, the Ministry of Health, the British Embassy in Việt Nam and GSK representative office in Việt Nam have pledged to carry out collaborative activities with a common goal to eliminate AMR in Việt Nam.

The partnership aims to support capability-building and medical education for healthcare professionals in AMR and Appropriate Antibiotic Prescribing (AAP) for community-acquired respiratory infections and provide end-to-end healthcare solutions from prevention to treatment and enhance access to world-class antibiotics and vaccines. It will also help increasing awareness of AMR’s burden and building understanding of appropriate antibiotic use in the community to prevent AMR in the future.

Speaking at the ceremony, British Ambassador to Việt Nam Gareth Ward affirmed the UK Government’s commitment to working with Việt Nam on tackling health issues like AMR. “Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a global health crisis and we need to increase our collective efforts to address this challenge in order to secure the health and wellbeing of our future generations,” said Ward.

“Today's signing marks a new phase in that effort, as GSK continues its commitment to contribute solutions such as clinical data sharing, studying surveillance data relevant to community-acquired respiratory infections, collaborating with healthcare professionals to continue their AMR medical education and public awareness campaigns about the burden of antimicrobial resistance and preventive measures for each individual and community," said Chief Representative of GSK Pte Ltd. in Việt Nam Phạm Thị Mỹ Liên.

AMR is one of the world’s most critical healthcare challenges. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of people dying from antimicrobial resistance could reach 10 million. In Việt Nam, rates of AMR are among the highest in Asia, causing thousands of deaths annually. — VNS