Primary health care workers perform rapid point-of-care tests, Gene Xpert tests to detect TB and drug-resistant TB.
Within 6 months of implementation, 22,604 people were screened for tuberculosis, COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. Of these, 3,776 people were screened for tuberculosis, with 78 cases of common tuberculosis detected and 3 cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis. This number is many times higher than the number of cases detected in Ung Hoa and Phuc Tho districts (Hanoi) in 2021 and 2022.
The above information was given by a representative of the National Tuberculosis Control Program at the Project Summary Workshop "Screening for TB, COVID-19 and some common respiratory infections at grassroots health facilities in Vietnam" from September 2022 to June 2023, jointly implemented by the National Tuberculosis Control Program and FIND, taking place on August 3, in Hanoi.
High efficiency from screening
Associate Professor Nguyen Binh Hoa - Deputy Director of the Central Lung Hospital, Deputy Head of the Executive Board of the National Tuberculosis Control Program said that in Vietnam, simultaneous screening for tuberculosis, COVID-19 and some respiratory diseases such as influenza A, B, respiratory diseases caused by syncytial virus and group A streptococcus was implemented from November 2022, after a long period of preparation including assessing the readiness of primary health care in Ung Hoa and Phuc Tho districts.
Necessary equipment, machinery, supplies as well as training for all grassroots health workers on the process of screening, admission and treatment management as well as performing on-site rapid tests, Gene Xpert tests to detect tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis.
As of the end of June 2023, the results of TB screening activities showed that the TB detection rate compared to the same period last year was very high. In Ung Hoa district, the number of detected TB cases was 2.6 times higher, and in Phuc Tho district, the number of detected TB cases was about 2 times higher. This result shows the effectiveness of the model of simultaneous screening for respiratory diseases with the same symptoms.
The representative of the coordination group said that the project was implemented in Ung Hoa and Phuc Tho districts (Hanoi) with 57 participating medical facilities, covering 55 communes, with a population of about 524,000 people.
Cases with TB symptoms or in the high-risk group for TB infection had their sputum samples taken at the commune health station and sent to the district health center for TB testing using the GeneXpert method - a method capable of detecting TB and multidrug-resistant TB. This is the first time that district health centers participating in the project have been supported to perform TB testing using Xpert. Notably, detected TB cases were treated right at the district health center, creating convenience for patients, while drug-resistant TB cases were transferred to the Hanoi Lung Hospital.
Initial results show positive changes in the detection of new TB cases in the two project districts as well as the importance of strengthening testing capacity at the grassroots level. This is important evidence to support policy development and implementation in Vietnam and around the world.
Capacity building for primary health care
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed the importance of maintaining TB prevention and care throughout the pandemic and has identified dual screening for TB and COVID-19 as a core work-in-progress.
COVID-19 has also clearly shown the importance of testing in medical examination and treatment activities, along with the urgent requirements for quality diagnostic tools, qualified medical personnel to perform diagnostic tests, infrastructure such as machinery, equipment, laboratories, data management systems, as well as support policies and reasonable allocation of available resources.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Van Anh - Head of FIND Office in Vietnam said that in that context, the National Tuberculosis Control Program and FIND have coordinated to implement the Project "Screening for TB, COVID-19 and some common respiratory infections at grassroots health facilities in Vietnam" from September 2022 to June 2023.
The project aims to improve the capacity of primary health care providers in performing multi-agent testing for COVID-19, tuberculosis and common respiratory infections; assess the impact of this testing model at primary health care providers on tuberculosis testing...
Associate Professor Vu Xuan Phu - Deputy Director of the Central Lung Hospital affirmed that activities to improve the capacity of the grassroots health system in providing public health care services, including detecting and diagnosing common diseases and diseases that have a major impact on public health such as tuberculosis or COVID19, are very necessary. This is a direction in line with the policies of the Party and the State and is also the direction that the Ministry of Health or the National Tuberculosis Control Program is interested in and developing.
According to Dr. Van Anh, the project once again emphasizes the efforts of the National Tuberculosis Control Program and FIND in supporting the enhancement of diagnostic capacity at the grassroots level, thereby increasing access to essential diagnostics for people, especially in disadvantaged areas, while improving the quality of disease management and surveillance at the grassroots level.
The project also opens up prospects and directions for the next activities of FIND in the process of accompanying the National Tuberculosis Control Program to test and apply new initiatives and models with the aim of increasing detection and moving towards ending tuberculosis by 2035./.
According to VNA
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