The Abbott Fund, the philanthropic arm of the global health care company Abbott, and the Global Health Collaborative at the Boston University School of Medicine on November 7 joined Bach Mai Hospital, the National Institute of Nutrition and Hanoi Medical University to share updates on progress and results to date for the Abbott Fund Institute of Nutrition Science (AFINS).
Launched in 2010, AFINS is the first program of its kind in the country to advance clinical nutrition. With US$3.8 million in support from the Abbott Fund, AFINS has generated strong results to date in improving nutrition hospital care for hospitalized patients through comprehensive, coordinated efforts targeting three critical needs: conducting staff training and integrating clinical nutrition into inpatient hospital care; expanding clinical nutrition education opportunities; and conducting and sharing research results on clinical nutrition best practices.
Mr. Nguyen Viet Tien, Deputy Minister of Health, appreciated the project’s good results and strong cooperation and support of The Abbott Fund and Boston University School of Medicine to the local medical and healthcare institutions for better nutrition care in hospitals in Vietnam.
"Nutrition is a critically important part of treatment. In addition to offering the best doctors, nurses, facilities and services, hospitals also need to provide patients with proper nutrition," said PhD. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Anh, Director of Bach Mai Hospital. "By strengthening nutrition care for hospital inpatients, conducting research and investing in educational programs, AFINS is helping to improve the care that patients receive in hospitals in Vietnam."
"AFINS is a strong example of effective partnership, with each organization contributing unique capabilities and resources to strengthen clinical nutrition care for patients," said Suki McClatchey, senior manager, the Abbott Fund. "AFINS is part of the Abbott Fund’s broader work to improve lives in Vietnam and around the world. We look forward to continuing to work together with our distinguished partners to advance this important program, which aligns with the Ministry of Health's broader goals to improve nutrition care across the country."
Key results to date include the establishment of Vietnam's first clinical nutrition center in Bach Mai Hospital, training more than 1,200 staff on nutrition care, establishing educational programs offering degrees in clinical nutrition, conducting the first large-scale prevalence study of hospital-based nutrition in Vietnam, and hosting Vietnam's first national conferences on clinical nutrition.
Nam Pham
Vietnamese
