Hanoi, December 15, 2020 – Bayer Vietnam and the Vietnam Administration Medical Service (VAMS) have signed an agreement to build a digital channel for a 3-year-period from 2021 to 2023 that will provide educational information about stroke prevention to the general public. A signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Health, attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Head of Medical Examination and Treatment Department – Ministry of Health, Vice Head of Non-Communicable Diseases Control Department and staff from hospitals across the country. The signing of this memorandum of understanding will see Bayer and VAMS colloborate on maintaining this digital channel to accurately raise awareness of disease prevention in general and stroke prevention in particular.

According to the World Health Organization, stroke is the most common cause of death in Vietnam. Around 200,000 people a year suffer a stroke, and half of them die from it. Those who survive a stroke still have to live with ongoing disabilities that may leave them unable to work, with families and society often left to pick up the pieces. While most common among over-50s, the young and the middle-aged are also at risk from strokes, and they account for about one-third of all cases. According to hospital statistics, the rate of strokes among young people is increasing by an average of 2 percent a year. Men are four times more likely to suffer stroke than women. Given the severity and prevalence of this health issue, increasing access to information on how to prevent strokes is crucial.

As it is a common community practice to search for information about the condition on the internet, online resources play an important role in disease management and prevention. With so much information out there, it is important to ensure the public is accessing reliable information when it comes to serious medical conditions like stroke. This digital channel from VAMS and Bayer aims to provide people with accurate, objective and useful knowledge on the proactive prevention and treatment of stroke. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative offers a convenient and safe way to share this practical and helpful knowledge with patients and care givers in an extensive and timely manner.
 

VAMS recognizes the importance of proactively preventing strokes, as well as the role of the Internet in enhancing access to reliable information for patients. This digital channel provides critical information in friendly and easy-to-understand language about stroke, including causes, symptoms, treatment and recommendations on stroke prevention by lifestyle change as well as treatment compliance. 

The regularly updated channel will be available as a subpage of the VAMS website, providing information on lifestyle changes that can be made to help prevent strokes and improve overall health, as well as raise awareness. It is hoped that the channel will be the first of many in a network of official information channels from the Ministry of Health providing reliable information on a variety of illnesses. This trusted information will also help doctors have more tools for advising patients about stroke prevention, creating a connection that strengthens the foundation of community health.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Head of Medical Examination and Treatment Department – Ministry of Health, Vice Head of Non-Communicable Diseases Control Department shared: “One of the important focuses of the health sector for the period 2013-2020 is the implementation of the national strategy on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, as well as building a strategy for the next phase in Vietnam. The joined forces with Bayer to raise public awareness on stroke prevention with new digital resource program in the period 2021 - 2023 is in accordance with this strategy, contributes to the community's awareness raising and correct understanding of stroke.”

As a global life science company, the program forms part of Bayer’s ongoing patient-centric commitment to achieving better prognosis, longer survival times, and better quality of life for all. MD. MBA Tran Thi Lan Huong, representative of Bayer said: “We are always striving to bring value to local communities and patient outcomes through our innovative medicines, technology and impactful programs, targeted at meeting specific areas of high unmet medical needs, towards patient-centered benefits. Bayer’s partnership with the Ministry of Health highlights our ongoing commitment to reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases on individuals, health systems and communities, and improving the quality of life for people in Vietnam.”