Hanoi, Vietnam – On the 10th of May, MPs from Korea and Fiji jointly met with the National TB Program and National Population Department in order to better understand the national TB response in Vietnam. The meeting was held as a joint activity owing to the simultaneous visit of MPs from both countries.
Caucus member Hon Alexander O’Connor (Assistant Minister of the Health for Fiji) visited Vietnam to meet with key MPs and government officials engaged in the national TB response. Simultaneously, a delegation of Korean MPs lead by the Hon Myoung Su Lee (Chair of the Parliamentary Health and Welfare Committee in Korea). The Korean delegation was organized by the Health and Welfare committee and supported by Stop TB Korea.
The first meeting of the day was held at the National Lung Hospital and was hosted by the National TB Program of Vietnam. Attendees included members of the Korean delegation, members of the Caucus delegation, the WHO, Friends for International Tuberculosis Relief, and National Lung Hospital staff. Prof Nhung, NTP Manager, opened the meeting and provided a brief history and overview of the work of the National TB Program. His presentation also covered the need for increased resource mobilization – domestically and globally. Hon Myoung Su Lee and Hon O’Connor each spoke briefly about the TB response in their respective countries. Tushar Nair (Asia Pacific Regional Manager) gave a short address covering the role of the Caucus, and the need for sustainable regional cooperation.
Following the meeting at the National Lung Hospital, both delegations moved to Hai Phong. In the afternoon, the joint delegation visited the Hai Phong TB Hospital with the purpose of better understanding the ground-level response to TB in Vietnam. Delegates were briefed on the work being undertaken by the Hai Phong hospital, guided by the National TB Program. Specific focus was on the “Zero TB Cities” project currently being run in Hai Phong and two other cities in the country. Delegates were also given a tour of the facilities including the culture labs and GeneXpert.
The final meeting of the day was hosted at the Hai Phong office of the Population Department. The meeting was led by the Director of the department who gave delegates an overview of the departments structure and functions. Other key officials from the department spoke about the collaboration between the National TB Program on the “Zero TB Cities” project. They highlighted the innovative approaches taken in enhancing case-detection through existing networks being used by the Population Department.
