The project was another milestone of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Health, Ha Tinh Department of Health and Novartis Vietnam in 2019 to strengthen primary healthcare in Vietnam, according to Universal Health Coverage and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Ha Tinh is a pioneer among eight provinces in the Ministry of Health’s partnership with Novartis Vietnam in strengthening primary healthcare at local level. An estimated 10,000 targeted individuals - adults at or above 40 years old or under 40 with a family history of or symptoms of high blood pressure and high blood pressure-leaving cardiovascular diseases - stand to benefit from the project.

Le Ngoc Chau, Director of Ha Tinh Department of Health, speaks at the workshop
on Strengthening Primary Healthcare in the central province.

This project involves a public-private partnership between Novartis Vietnam and Ha Tinh Department of Health, implemented over 18 months, from August 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. It aims to strengthen the local health capability through prevention and management of non-communicable diseases.

The project also seeks to increase community awareness of primary healthcare and adoption of healthy behavior and living habits for the better management of non-communicable diseases, with a focus on cardiovascular diseases related to high blood pressure to more complex ailments like heart failure.

The project is supposed to reinforce two-way referral and linkages between commune health stations and district general hospitals for more effective treatment of non-communicable diseases at local health facilities.

It is also expected to strengthen local health capability, increase availability and accessibility of healthcare services at commune health stations, especially for the better prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood pressure leading to cardiovascular diseases.

Another objective is project evidence-based outcomes for sustainable health system strengthening and expansion of modality across Ha Tinh.

The workshop is attended by representatives from the Ha Tinh Department of Health,
Ha Tinh Center for Disease Control and Prevention, district health centers.

Roeland Roefofs, Country President of Novartis Vietnam, said: "Standing together to strengthen grassroots healthcare is essential. Grassroots care remains vital in containing Covid-19. Primary care is equally essential in treating the increasing burden of chronic diseases, focusing on cardiovascular diseases from high blood pressure to more complex ailments like heart failure.

"The specific focus agreed in the detailed workplan is quickly coming to life with the workshop taking place today. We look forward to seeing a positive impact on the health status of the 10,000 or so eligible adults across the four blue-print commune health stations and support Ha Tinh to scale up successful intervention across the remaining 178 communes in the coming years."

The kick-off workshop on Strengthening Primary Healthcare in Ha Tinh Province reaffirms Novartis’s long-term commitment to help improve the healthcare status at community level in Vietnam, contributing to reduce the overcrowded situation at higher levels, as well as enhancing Vietnamese awareness of primary healthcare.

Novartis is a leading global pharmaceutical company. From using innovative science and digital technologies to creating transformative and groundbreaking treatments in areas of great medical need, Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend life. The company's products reach nearly 800 million people globally. About 109,000 of more than 145 nationalities work at Novartis around the world.