Vietnam’s Minister of Health Nguyen Quoc Trieu has approved a plan to expand cancer prevention and treatment network across the country between 2009 and 2020, the Nhan dan newspaper reported Dec. 8. Under the plan, Vietnam will build an additional six tumor hospitals, 15 tumor centers with seven at Bach Mai, E, Thai Nguyen General, Vietnam-Sweden Uong Bi, Vietnam-Cuba Dong Hoi, Hue Central and Cho Ray Hospitals and 35 tumor wards with four at Central Children’s and Ear-Nose-Throat Hospitals, National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Vietnam National Institute of Gerontology. The plan will focus on human resources training to raising the quality of cancer examination and treatment as part of efforts to cope with rising numbers of cancer patients in the Southeast Asian country. Vietnam is estimated to identify 150,000 to 200,000 new cancer patients a year and report 100,000 deaths by the disease, statistics from the Ministry of Health showed.
