Vietnam Project

In Vietnam, Asthma International’s focus is on the health of children aged between 3 and 15 from the poorest communities. Vietnam has a particularly high incidence of childhood asthma: children in Vietnam aged 12-13 have the highest incidence of Asthma in Asia, at 29%.

As with children anywhere, children in Vietnam need to have control of their asthma to enable them to attend school, or, if already at school, to gain the greatest benefit from their education. Well-controlled asthma also facilitates good night-time sleep with consequent positive effects on day-time performance. 

Accordingly in 2018 Asthma International began an ongoing $27,000 programme to treat 92 children of school age from carefully-screened low-income backgrounds. This programme was designed to provide continuous provision for two years, and thereafter maintenance treatment via Vietnamese government insurance, which is relatively inexpensive. The gap that Asthma International filled was the lack of early intervention, precise diagnosis and appropriate medication, all of which are often overlooked, leading to life-long adverse consequences for children. 

A spreadsheet detailing how the money was spent can be seen here. Sample patient records (names redacted) can be seen here.

The outreach, prescribing and administration was conducted by our Vietnamese partners at the Community Health Centre, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, under the supervision of our Vietnamese partner, Professor Le Thi Tuyet Lan PhD, Chairwoman of the University Medical Centre of Ho Chi Minh City Respiratory Care Centre. Professor Lan is an Assembly Member of the international campaigning and advisory group the Global Initiative on Asthma, as well as being one of the most respected figures in the worldwide asthma community.

Projects for 2024/5

Future projects currently under development include work with Dreamland Mission Hospital near Kimililli, Western Kenya.

This will work to supply the following: spirometry for diagnosis of asthma; inhaled corticosteroid/formoterol inhalers; travel costs to appointments for remote farming communities.