Kon Tum Preventive Medicine Centre Upholding Preventive Roles in Health Sector

Operating in a mountainous province where the proportion of mountainous ethnic groups is high, and material life and healthcare knowledge of people are limited, the roles of Kon Tum Preventive Medicine Centre become tougher to play; particularly, the so-called double burden of disease patterns in the province is a major challenge to its professional operations. In addition to preventing and controlling classical but recurrent infectious diseases, preventing emerging dangerous infectious diseases is a big challenge. Besides, the shift of disease patterns caused by urbanisation process and socioeconomic development requires the effective prevention and control of chronic diseases, non-communicable diseases, prevention of accidents and injuries, and management of health workers.

 

To meet the demand of timely human health care and protection in the province, the Kon Tum Preventive Medicine Centre has rapidly restructured its organisational apparatus according to Circular 51/2014/TT-BYE of the Ministry of Health dated December 29, 2014 on functions, duties and powers of provincially and municipally-run preventive medicine centres. Besides, the centre has focused on strengthening human resources, training and fostering professional knowledge of epidemiology, community health, laboratory and state management for its employees. Professionally, the centre has concentrated on controlling communicable diseases, and controlling non-communicable diseases, nutrition, health, environment, occupational health, preventive consultation and treatment. Specially, it has maintained the national standards of preventive medicine centre, applied ISO/IEC 17025:2007 standards to testing operations, and ensuring laboratory biosafety. Additionally, to have more funds for operation, Kon Tum Preventive Medicine Centre has provided some preventive health services like examining health for workers, measuring working environment, supply medical testing services, and cooperating in supplying Safpo 32 Kon Tum high-quality vaccination services.

 

With its constant efforts, in January 2015, Kon Tum Preventive Medicine Centre successfully defended the appraisal result of provincial preventive medicine centre standards at the Council of the Ministry of Health, thus gaining the recognition of being a standard provincial preventive medicine centre according to Decision 402/QD-BYT dated February 3, 2015 of the Minister of Health. In the coming time, Kon Tum Preventive Medicine Centre will continue to carry out activities according to national preventive medicine standards stipulated by the Ministry of Health, focus on restructuring its apparatus and training its staff to offer best preventive medicine services to people, specially ethnic minorities living in remote areas.