The day was also an occasion to launch a new project aimed at raising public awareness of diabetes.

Under a three-year plan starting this month, the Vietnam Medical Association and National Hospital of Endocrinology will work to help local residents recognize the disease in its early stages and facilitate access to information, said Binh.

The project will be piloted in Hanoi, Vinh, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho, he said.

Research conducted by the endocrinology hospital shows that in the last five years, the rate of Vietnamese contracting diabetes has almost doubled from 2.7 percent to 5 percent.

In urban areas and industrial zones, the rate has risen from 4.4 percent to 7.2 percent, according to the research.

Binh said up to 95 percent of Vietnam’s 4.5 million diabetes patients have type-2 diabetes and warned about an increasing trend in young people contracting the illness.

Treatment of diabetes in Vietnam is alarmingly poor, Binh added, with just 86 doctors trained to treat the disease.

The World Health Organization estimates that some 180 million people worldwide have diabetes, with six deaths every minute as a result of the illness. The number is expected to double by 2030.

Source: Agencies