Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and Director ofthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of theUS Robert Redfield signed amemorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in infection prevention and antibioticresistance and infection surveillance related to medical care in Hanoi onDecember 12.

The MoU is intended to strengthen the capacity of infection prevention programmes,including conducting risk assessments, developing policies and guidelines, and monitoringand evaluating relevant programmes.

It also aims to improve testing capacity to detect antibiotic-resistancepathogens through training and consultation; exchange isolated strains ofbacteria, and share information on best practices and scientific advances in microbiologicaltesting techniques.

The two sides will exchange personnel and materials serving trainingprogrammes; organise meetings, conferences and workshops related to infectionand drug resistance control, and work in expanding the national supervision systemon antibiotic resistance and infection in health care.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Tien highlighted the closecooperation between the health sectors of the two countries, saying that thetwo sides have given priority to enhancing collaboration in preventive health,human resources training and drug resistance prevention.

She thanked the US Government, the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS), and the CDC, while highly valuing cooperation of officials of the CDCoffice in Vietnam with the Vietnamese health sector.

The Minister expressed the hope that the two sides will continue to effectivelycooperate in preventing HIV/AIDS and drug resistance, preventive health, and medicalpersonnel training, and other cooperation activities in the framework of the MoUsigned between the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the HHS in 2017.

For his part, Redfield expressed his joy atachievements made by Vietnam’s health sector, especially in preventing andcontrolling HIV/AIDS.

Vietnam became the 15th country in the world to receive the USGovernment’s assistance in the fight against HV/AIDS through PEPFAR in 2004.

He appreciated Vietnam’s policy on expanding the coverage of health insurance tothose living with HIV/AIDS and was impressed by the Health Emergency OperationsCentre (EOC) in Vietnam.

He hoped to enhance cooperation between his agency and the Vietnamese side in preventingbird flu, stressing that that Vietnam’s sharing of information related to theinfluenza strains is very useful for research and production of vaccines acrossthe globe.

During his stayin Vietnam, Redfield visited the Binh Chanh health centre, Cho Ray hospital,Nhi Dong 1 hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the EOC, and the Hanoimedical University.-VNA