DECISION

INTRODUCING NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION BY 2020 WITH VISION TOWARDS 2030

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases dated November 21, 2007;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.63/2012/ND-CP dated August 31, 2012 on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

At the request of the Minister of Health,

HEREBY DECIDES:

Article 1. National strategy for tuberculosis prevention by 2020 with vision towards 2030 (hereinafter referred to as "the Strategy”), with the following contents, is approved.

1. Viewpoints

a) Tuberculosis (hereinafter referred to as “TB”) is a highly infectious disease that poses a threat to human health and human lives, which can be cured if detected early and treated correctly. Therefore, TB prevention is a crucial and long-term duty of the whole political system with the healthcare sector as the nucleus.

b) The State shall take the major role in ensuring the resources for TB prevention; however, all social resources shall also be mobilized to support TB prevention.

c) Central and local TB and pulmonary disease prevention networks shall perform TB prevention tasks, with primary support from the community and cooperation between public and non-public healthcare facilities.

2. Targets

a) Targets by the end of 2015:

- Reduce number of TB cases to fewer than 187 cases per 100,000 persons;

- Reduce number of TB deaths to fewer than 18 cases per 100,000 persons;

- Reduce rate of multidrug-resistant TB cases among new TB cases by fewer than 5%.

b) Targets by the end of 2020:

- Reduce number of TB cases to fewer than 131 cases per 100,000 persons;

- Reduce number of TB deaths to fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 persons;

- Maintain rate of multidrug-resistant TB cases among new TB cases under 5%.

3. Vision towards 2030

Reduce number of TB deaths and TB cases to fewer than 20 cases per 100,000 persons. Strive to eliminate TB from Vietnamese people’s life completely.

4. Solutions

a) Policies and legislation

- Review and amend policies as appropriate to the realities of TB prevention.

- Formulate and promulgate legislative documents to encourage domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to participate in TB prevention.

- Develop incentive policies for officials, public employees and workers in healthcare facilities participating in TB prevention.

- Formulate and promulgate regulations concerning ease of access to TB medical services and concessionary costs thereof covered by the health insurance fund for health insurance card holders.

b) Communications

- Further disseminate laws and policies on TB prevention.

- Educate on TB and TB prevention for people, especially those living in remote and isolated areas and the mobile population, to understand, not discriminate against TB and proactively use TB detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention services provided by the healthcare sector.

- Regulatory bodies, organizations, communities, patients and their family shall actively participate in raising awareness towards TB for all citizens to understand and to prevent TB proactively.

- Develop policies to encourage social communities to participate in education on TB prevention.

c) TB prevention techniques and services

- Enhance early TB detection and effective TB treatment

+ Healthcare facilities shall provide TB detection, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and surveillance services according to guidelines from the Ministry of Health. TB and respiratory care facilities at all levels shall take charge and cooperate with healthcare facilities providing services of general medicine or other specialties and non-public healthcare facilities in instructing and supervising provision of quality TB detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention services to all people;

Formulate and promulgate policies to enable people, especially those living in remote and isolated areas and the mobile population, to access TB detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention services easily, and to encourage social organizations and communities to assist TB patients with using TB medical services.

- Boost application of new techniques for TB detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

+ Develop plans for proactive access to techniques recommended by the WHO to provide comprehensive TB detection, treatment and prevention services as well as utilize traditional techniques to examine, treat and prevent TB efficiently in Vietnam’s current situation;

+ Research and carry out pilot implementation of new approaches before upgrading TB prevention services via public and non-public healthcare systems with the participation of organizations, mass organizations and communities. Frequently review and evaluate piloted models and expand the highly effective ones to improve service provision and facilitate access to better TB medical services.

d) International cooperation

- Consolidate and promote cooperation with other countries and foreign organizations and individuals in research, clinical testing and technical assistance concerning TB prevention, especially with long-term partners possessing advanced TB prevention techniques.

- Expand international cooperation in different aspects of TB prevention, and actively and proactively request assistance with achieving breakthroughs in TB prevention from international organizations.

- Tightly collaborate with other countries in the region and around the world in adopting solutions to trans-national TB transmission, detection and treatment and matters related to the mobile population.

dd) Provision of drugs and technical logistics for TB prevention

- Formulate and complete mechanisms for management and timely provision of TB drugs and technical logistics for TB prevention.

- Develop and promulgate policies on nutritional support for TB patients.

- Strengthen and develop medical equipment and infrastructure for TB detection, diagnosis and treatment in healthcare facilities.

- Invest in and conduct research on domestic drug manufacture based on TB treatment requirements. Monitor TB drug resistance and adverse reactions.

e) Financial sources for TB prevention

TB prevention shall be funded by state budget according to regulations of state budget laws, health insurance fund, sponsorships from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals, and other legal funding sources.

g) TB prevention staff

- Formulate and promulgate policies on priority given to training, recruitment, employment and benefits of officials, public employees and workers involved in TB prevention.

- Diversify forms of specialized training; provide up-to-date information on TB prevention for general practitioners and doctors of other specialties; combine full-time with in-service training, and short-term with long-term training; enhance medical capacity via training, conferences, seminars and direct guidelines continuously.

- Improve managerial capability concerning TB prevention for officials in managerial positions at all levels via domestic and overseas training programs, study trips and experience exchanges.

- Connect TB prevention with prevention of HIV/AIDS and chronic pulmonary diseases and other preventive medical activities.

h) Inspection and supervision

- Promote and complete monitoring and reporting to evaluate and control quality of TB prevention medical services in all healthcare facilities and estimate price thereof via IT application.

- Develop plans to improve capacity for TB epidemiological surveillance and evaluation of TB prevention at all levels via domestic and overseas training programs, study trips and experience exchanges.

- Further inspect and supervise implementation of TB prevention policies.

5. Implementation

a) The Ministry of Health shall:

- Take charge in developing plans and guidelines for Strategy implementation; and direct and supervise such implementation. Submit consolidated reports to the Prime Minister on Strategy implementation and results thereof on an annual basis.

- Take charge and cooperate with other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in formulating and promulgating legislative documents related to TB prevention intra vires or propose such documents to competent authorities for promulgation.

- Take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance and other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in proposing solutions for mobilization of resources for TB prevention.

- Take charge and cooperate with relevant regulatory bodies in formulating and amending regulations on priority concerning TB medical services and reimbursement of costs thereof from the health insurance fund for health insurance card holders.

- Take charge and cooperate with relevant regulatory bodies in inspecting and supervising Strategy implementation in localities and reporting to the Prime Minister annually.

- Organize adoption of support policies for TB patients, and supervise and inspect such adoption.

b) The Ministry of Finance shall:

Allocate funding for TB prevention as prescribed by regulations of state budget laws.

c) The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

- Allocate investment in TB prevention via programs or plans approved by competent authorities.

- Cooperate with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance in proposing solutions for further mobilization of capital for investment in TB prevention systems to competent authorities for approval and proposing investment sources for TB prevention.

d) The Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs shall:

- Cooperate with the Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in promulgating guidelines for TB prevention in the workplace, especially for vulnerable mobile workers and female workers, and support policies for workers infected with TB.

- Cooperate with relevant regulatory bodies in implementing support policies for TB-infected employees of regulatory bodies, organizations and enterprises, and supervising and inspecting such implementation.

dd) The Ministry of Public Security shall:

- Cooperate with the Ministry of Health in TB prevention in units under its management, with a focus on detention facilities and correctional institutions.

- Cooperate in training, communications and education related to health and TB prevention for officials, police force, convicts and students in correctional institutions of units under its management.

e) The Ministry of Information and Communications shall:

Cooperate with the Ministry of Health, other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies and local authorities in developing plans for communication via mass media; direct information authorities and press agencies to collaborate with TB prevention programs at all levels in providing information on TB prevention regularly.

g) The Ministry of Education and Training shall:

- Develop, review and incorporate TB prevention contents into extracurricular programs in schools. Educate on TB prevention for pupils, students, teachers and educational managers at all levels in a diverse and effective manner.

- Cooperate with other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in developing policies on priority given to training of TB medical workforce.

h) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall:

Cooperate with the Ministry of Health, other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies and local authorities in formulating TB awareness plans connected to cultural, sport and tourism activities; incorporating TB prevention into artworks and art performances to educate people and encourage them to prevent TB proactively.

i) The Ministry of National Defense shall:

Organize TB prevention in military units as suitable to its sector’s characteristics; take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Health in expanding the military-civilian medicine model to raise awareness towards TB prevention and provide examination and treatment to people in border areas, on islands and in areas with difficulties.

k) The Ministry of Home Affairs shall:

Cooperate with the Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in promptly amending regimes and policies applied to persons involved in TB prevention as appropriate to the realities.

l) Central Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front and affiliates thereof shall adopt the Strategy ex officio; and cooperate with the Ministry of Health in supervising Strategy implementation.

m) Provincial People’s Committees shall:

- Direct competent authorities to perform the Strategy’s tasks and solutions within their provinces.

- Establish and strengthen provincial steering committees for TB prevention, which assist Chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees with formulating plans, deploying the Strategy and supervising such deployment within their provinces.

- Develop policies to attract workforce for TB prevention in their provinces, set and incorporate TB prevention targets into provincial socio-economic development plans.

- Allocate funding, workforce and facilities for TB prevention in their provinces in addition to annual funding from central government budget.

- Direct local authorities and organizations to cooperate with the healthcare sector in regularly supervising and inspecting implementation of the Strategy, and periodically submitting reports on such implementation and proposals for amendment to or promulgation of new regulations to the Ministry of Health to enhance TB prevention.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect from the date on which it is signed.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of Governmental agencies, chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees and relevant organizations and individuals shall implement this Decision./.