The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on September 18 signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation in enhancing the health and quality of life of migrants, and supporting them in accessing national health systems and policies.

This marks a new milestone in cooperation between the two sides since they set up their relations in 1980.

MoH Deputy Minister Nguyen Tri Thuc said that the two sides have actively cooperated in many areas to ensure the health of migrants, including raising awareness of their health, strengthening bilateral cooperation in cross-border tuberculosis control, supporting the enhancement of regional cooperation through regional workshops on migration and migrants' health.

Vietnam is currently one of the major labour exporting countries, while its demand for jobs abroad is increasing. According to statistics in 2023, about 155,000 Vietnamese workers went abroad to work, accounting for nearly one-third of the new labour force entering the market.

Like many countries in the ASEAN region, Vietnam has faced many health challenges from infectious diseases, occupational health risks, and mental health to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria remain major concerns.

The country is also facing challenges in achieving universal health coverage (UHC), especially for migrants. Studies by the IOM showed that migrants continue to face difficulties in accessing health services due to language barriers, discrimination, financial constraints, lack of cross-border health insurance, and formal patient referral mechanisms.

IOM Chief of Mission in Vietnam Park Mi-Hyung emphasised that cooperation with the MoH plays an important role in ensuring the health and improving the quality of life of migrants in line with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In the context of increasing global migration, cooperation and partnership are key to improving the health and quality of life of migrants, she said, adding that healthy migrants contribute positively to the development of their communities.

The representative said that the document serves as a foundation to strengthen the partnership in the health sector between the two sides. The IOM, as the leading UN agency for safe migration, will continue its strategic and long-term cooperation with the Government of Vietnam, especially the MoH, to ensure the health and quality of life of migrants, pledged Park.

Over the years, the IOM in Vietnam has implemented many initiatives to improve the health of migrants, including a joint programme to control tuberculosis across borders, and a scheme to train 200 health workers from Vietnam and Cambodia to use the DHIS2 cross-border patient referral software.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation supplied more than 95,000 N95 masks at 16 air and land border gates in Vietnam, along with 700 automatic hand sanitiser dispensers and seven body temperature cameras. Meanwhile, 736 frontline workers were trained in disease prevention and control, and equipped with knowledge about safe migration.

Besides, the establishment of the Migration Health Working Group (MHWG) has also helped manage migrant health and develop comprehensive health policies. Through the establishment of this group, the IOM has provided health knowledge to more than 23,500 Vietnamese workers in Japan and the Republic of Korea through the health handbook for Vietnamese migrant workers./.VNA