Implementing the operational plan of the Vietnam Global Fund Malaria Project (VGFMalaria), Thua Thien-Hue (TT-H) province held "the 2nd workshop on malaria control along the Vietnamese-Laotian border" on September 9, 2010 in A Luoi district with the attendance of two districts of Xa Muoi (Xalava province) and K'Lum (Xekong province) in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).
Participants to the workshop included provincial authorities of Department of Foreign Affairs, Provincial Police, Provincial Borderguard Army Health Unit, Medical Operations Office (Department of Health-DoH) and members of the provincial project management unit, and leaderships of district party committee, district people's committee, district health facilities, borderguard army health station, communal people's committees of Hong Van and A Dot, where have the border gates, and members of the district project management unit. The workshop was presided over by Assoc.Prof Nguyen Dung, Director of DoH, Head of VGFMalaria Project Management Unit of TT-H province.
Several leaderships of Laotian districts that share the borders with A Luoi district (TT-H province) were also in attendance at the workshop, including Mr. on Kham Ta, Vice Chairman and Dr. Bun Luoi, director of district health centre of Xa Muoi (Xalavan province); Mr. Bun Lay Ta Vong, deputy secretary of district party committee and Dr. Thon Phang Tu A San, director of district health centre of K'Lum (Sekong province).
The border districts of A Luoi, Xa Muoi and K'Lum have notified each other the information on malaria situation, the malaria prevention and control activities according to the National Malaria Control Programme implemented by Vietnam and Laotians from 2008 to the 7 first months of 2010.
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Assoc.Prof Nguyen Dung, Director of DoH, Head of
VGFMalaria Project Management Unit of TT-H province
in his opening speech. | Dr. Bun Luoi, director of district health centre of Xa Muoi
(Xalavan province) in his report at the workshop. |
After listening the current malaria situation, the border districts have given opinions and proposals of malaria control measures suitable with the strategies and malaria control programmes of the two countries Vietnam and Laos, including measures to prevent malaria for groups of mobilised population who go to work in the forests, spend the nights in the field-huts, cross the borders, etc. The management mechanism of using anti-malarial drug and coordination mechanism in the malaria prevention were also mentioned at the workshop.
The border districts of Xa Muoi and K'Lum have also petitioned VGFMalaria Project for support of malaria control facilities such as bed-nets, antimalarial-drugs, microscopes, etc. for the Laotian people in difficult border villages. The Project Management Unit of VGFMalaria Project of A Luoi district (TT-H province) has recorded the proposals of two Laotian districts bordering A Luoi district and will suggest them for the National Project Management Unit to consider, help and support within the project workplan stage II, from 2011 to 2013, if the objectives and framework of the project contain malaria control border malaria prevention activities.
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Participants to the second workshop on malaria control along the Vietnamese-Laotian border
in Thua Thien-Hue province, 2010 |
The VGFMalaria Project is preparing assessment for the end of stage I. Hoping that in stage II (2011-2013) the activities of border malaria prevention will be developed and extended more effectively. The community in the border areas desire that the slogan "Malaria - a disease without borders" launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the first World Malaria Day April 25, 2008 will come into life, contributing to the care and protection of the people's health of two border-sharing sister countries Vietnam and Laos, particularly in malaria control.
In the medical cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, between districts or villages in border areas, there's a need for close coordination between the government and health care network of both sides so as to together implement appropriate measures, achieving good results in the coming time.