Can Tho (VNA) – The People’s Committee of theMekong Delta city of Can Tho on November 14 signed a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) with AstraZeneca Vietnam Co. Ltd. on cooperation ininnovation in the healthcare sector.

According to Tran Viet Truong, Chairman of the Can ThoPeople’s Committee, the partnership is expected to help Can Tho promoteinnovation in particular healthcare areas, including disease prevention andcontrol, medical and biological research, and human resources training. It will also increase the access to new medicines and vaccines in Can Tho and the MekongDelta region.

In the future, the two sides will jointly conduct a numberof programmes in respiratory health, as well as those of cardiovascular, kidney, metabolic, tumorand digestive health care, he said.

Hoang Quoc Cuong, Director of the city Department of Health, said that the Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, which trains more than2,000 doctors and medical staff each year for the Mekong Delta region, is well positioned for AstraZeneca to build an innovative healthcare centre in Can Tho. The centre will conduct in-depth research and trainhigh-quality human resources for the healthcare sector with the engagement offoreign experts.

Cuong said that currently, 60% of patients in Can Thohospitals are from Mekong Delta localities, or about 12 million people of thetotal 20 million in the region.

Under the MoU, AstraZeneca Vietnam will work with Can Tho togive cancer screening to 10,000 people in the region where the rate of pulmonarytuberculosis is highest in the country.

Cuong said he hopes that in the coming time, the two sideswill expand screening for cancers of the liver, breast, cervix, and thyroid, whilestrengthening the application of artificial intelligence in image diagnosis.

Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director of AstraZenecaVietnam, pledged that the firm will strengthen cooperation with Can Tho inpromoting innovation in the medical field, providing solutions and initiativesrelated to clinical trials, health examination and treatment, as well as in increasing the application of AI in the screening of lung cancer, asthma, and chronicpulmonary embolism.

The firm also commits to joining hands in environmentalprotection and sustainable development in the globe, he said, noting that it isimplementing a 50-million-USD package to reduce carbon emissions in Vietnam.

Currently, AstraZeneca runs 20 medical innovationcentres around the world./.