The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Saturday it has approved a total of 38 million dollars in loans and grants to boost Vietnam's fight against communicable and lifestyle diseases, dpa reported. The Manila-based ADB said the package was to help finance a project aimed at combatting communicable diseases and addressing new challenges in areas such as food safety and occupational health. "Vietnam's preventive health system was designed when the pattern of disease development was much more homogenous and dominated by communicable diseases," said ADB economist Erik Bloom. "The country now requires a system that can continue to support provinces with high levels of communicable diseases, while beginning to address new issues like occupational health and safety and non- communicable diseases," he added. The ADB said Vietnam's health profile has become heterogeneous with communicable diseases remaining a major concern in poor areas, while noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes and cancer were also increasing. The country was also vulnerable from emerging communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, SARS and the avian flu. Under the project, about 3,500 local health workers will receive training in community health, while refresher and intensive courses will be offered to another 2,500 staff. An additional 350 staff will receive postgraduate training. "This project will put Vietnam on course to achieve its health- related development goals by 2015," Bloom said. "By targeting assistance to provinces that still face a high burden of communicable diseases, the project will also address inequality issues in the health system," he added. The Vietnam's Ministry of Health was the executing agency for the project which is due for completion in December 2011.
