Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh calls for WHO's support for disease prevention
VGP – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist Viet Nam in disease prevention and control after natural disasters have recently caused devastating consequences in central Viet Nam.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) meets with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 22, 2025. Photo: VGP
The Government chief made the call during his meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa on November 22.
Pham expressed his gratitude to the WHO for its timely support and assistance for Viet Nam over the past years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic time.
He said Viet Nam is deploying a series of policies to protect and improve public health, considering people's health as the top priority.
Tedros extended his deep condolences to the Prime Minister over the great loss caused by recent storms and floods in Viet Nam.
He appreciated the Vietnamese Government's strong commitments to healthcare, expressing his admiration for the Government's decisive and timely response measures during the COVID-19 time.
Tedros promised to help Viet Nam mobilize resources for post-natural disaster disease prevention and control efforts.
Over the past few days, floods caused by unusual heavy rains have left 102 dead and missing in the aforesaid five localities, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
Around 186,000 houses were flooded; 1,154 homes were damaged; more than 3.2 million livestock and poultry were killed or swept away, the ministry added.
Total damages were estimated at over VND9 trillion, including VND650 billion in Quang Ngai, VND1,000 billion in Gia Lai, VND5,330 billion in Dak Lak, VND1,000 billion in Khanh Hoa, and VND1,055 billion in Lam Dong.
On November 21, the Government decided to allocate VND700 billion in emergency aid to help Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Dak Lak to overcome the consequences of natural disasters./.
