Leading global health innovator celebrates 35 years in Vietnam

December 8, 2015 by PATH

Vietnam
US Deputy Chief of Mission attends PATH anniversary event

Contact:
Tham Tran, PATH, ttran@path.org.

Hanoi, December 8, 2015–A leading US-based global health organization, PATH, celebrated 35 years of partnership and innovation in Vietnam. US Deputy Chief of Mission Susan Sutton joined the anniversary event to celebrate the milestone and highlight achievements of PATH partnerships. The event follows the recent 20th anniversary of US-Vietnam health cooperation and normalized bilateral relations.

Group of PATH staff in front of banner.

Celebrating 35 years in Vietnam! Photo: PATH.

"PATH's work in Vietnam continues to represent the best in global health innovation. Our collaboration with the government and many development and private-sector partners has saved and protected many lives," said PATH president and CEO Steve Davis. "Moving into a new era of health and development goals, PATH is committed to continue working with current and new partners to accelerate health innovation in Vietnam."
 
During the celebration, US Deputy Chief of Mission Susan Sutton commended PATH for its longstanding commitment to Vietnam: "Vietnam and United States recently celebrated the special role of health cooperation in their improving relations. It is difficult to imagine a clearer example than PATH, an American NGO beginning its work here in 1980, only five years after the war and fully 15 years before our governments normalized relations. PATH is a valued partner of the US government in cooperation to improve health, eliminate disease, and protect against threats of future epidemics."

Looking ahead, PATH is committed to working with local partners to respond to a significant emerging public health challenge in Vietnam–noncommunicable diseases–responsible for an estimated seven out of ten deaths. Cardiovascular disease accounts for much of this burden, with recent Ministry of Health statistics estimating approximately 12.5 million hypertension cases, and 2.5 million diabetes patients in Vietnam. PATH will launch a project to increase early diagnosis of hypertension and ensure its effective management at the primary care level.

PATH: 35 years of partnership in Vietnam

PATH's work in Vietnam began in 1980 with an early focus on improving local condom manufacturing capacity and reproductive health. This focus quickly broadened to a wide scope of public health challenges. For more than 35 years, PATH has collaborated with a diverse range of partners to:

  • Detect over 12,000 cases of tuberculosis.
  • Facilitate local manufacturing of influenza vaccines (H1N1, H5N1, and seasonal).
  • Increase hepatitis B birth dose coverage to over 90%.
  • Introduce a digital immunization registry system that has significant increased on-time immunization rates.
  • Develop a strong market supply and demand for high-quality, locally produced condoms.

PATH is committed to ongoing collaboration with local partners to further improve production, distribution, and delivery of vaccines; respond to trends in infectious diseases, such as HIV and tuberculosis; and tackle emerging noncommunicable disease in Vietnam.