D. Challenges in Vietnam’s Pandemic Prevention Program (Lesson # 2629)
Observation.
As of 2013, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-US) seeks to build capacity within
Vietnam to plan for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters and pandemic outbreaks. Building
capacity creates an environment that fosters Host Nation (HN) institutional development, community
participation, human resources development, and strengthened managerial systems, while the United States
remains a catalyst and supporter. Because of Vietnam’s geographic location, it is a more disaster-prone
country in USPACOM’s Southeast Asia region and is particularly vulnerable to severe typhoons and
floods. Vietnam has started constructing an emergency preparedness and disaster response plan, directing
its agencies on the procedures to be carried out in response to severe emergencies, including typhoons,
floods, earthquakes, and fires. As of 2013, Vietnam’s emergency response system continues to be reactive
instead of proactive, and its agencies lack the expertise to handle large disasters on their own. Emergencies,
such as typhoon, flood, and infectious disease outbreaks are unpredictable, but virulent disease can be
planned for and hopefully prevented. Almost all of the world’s flu viruses emerge from China and
Southeast Asia, and without an early detection program, endemic diseases can become
pandemics. Vietnam's lack of a Pandemic Prevention Program (PPP) that can report and track infectious
diseases of concern in a timely manner is a global health security threat. Helping Vietnam increase its
health-care standard would assist in the potential spread of pandemics in the region.
Discussion.
Introduction
Since Vietnam initiated its 1986 Doi Moi (economic renovation program), Vietnamese officials have
diligently strived to balance loyalty to the Communist Party with accessibility to the world
economically. This has motivated the United States to engage in a continuous dialogue with Vietnam
regarding human rights, including the right to health care as set out by the United Nations. Although still
in the early stages, a recent partnership between the United States and Vietnam has strengthened the
opportunity for a better quality of life for Vietnam’s citizens. The United States seeks to assist the
Vietnamese government in establishing a viable pandemic prevention program (PPP) to effectively detect,
report, track, and monitor endemic and pandemic outbreaks, and help prevent the spread of infectious
disease.
In 2011, Vietnam’s minister of defense, Phung Quang Thanh, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
jointly agreed to increase military medical collaboration. This swiftly became a military-to-military
agreement when the surgeon general of the US Navy, Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr., signed a statement
of agreement with Vietnam’s military medical director, Col. Vu Quoc Binh, in August 2011. These
diplomatic overtures facilitated the two nations along the path toward military medical cooperation, while
helping to unify the civilian health-care sector’s efforts to prevent the spread of infectious
disease. Establishing a robust PPP in Vietnam increases stability, not only within the US Pacific Command
(USPACOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR), but throughout the entire Southeast Asian region. The Thanh
and Gates agreement may open opportunities for future events to unfold as Vietnam’s government gains
trust and confidence in the United States. These events might include an increase in international
government organizations (IGOs); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and, military projects such as
the Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP), the Dental Civic Action Program (DENTCAP), and the
Engineering Civic Action Program (ENCAP). MEDCAPs, established during the Vietnam War, are US
medical teams advising their Vietname