Even today the impact of the war is still felt in Vietnam – approx. eight million people require prostheses or orthopaedic implants as a result of injury from bombs or landmines. Moreover, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Vietnam has the highest rate worldwide of people who sustain a physical disability due to traffic accidents. Yet frequently training for doctors is insufficient, and there is a lack of modern orthopaedic implants and operative technology which would ensure adequate care for the injured.

Training centres for orthopaedists and trauma surgeons

Supported by DEG, INTERCUS, a medical supplier from the German state of Thuringia, has successfully set up two training centres for orthopaedists and trauma surgeons in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Practical training is provided in local hospitals after participants have attended theory classes. DEG is co-financing the investment with develoPPP.de programme funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). INTERCUS can thus contribute to advancing orthopaedic care and trauma surgery in Vietnam, and simultaneously expand its business operations in the country.

Hanoi IEC Ltd is the local partner – a Vietnamese business consultancy firm specialising in medical care. The company organises the training courses and events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as in various provinces.

German-Vietnamese research network

INTERCUS has also organised training and work shadowing for Vietnamese professors and doctors in German hospitals. A German-Vietnamese network has now evolved from this, consisting of medical institutions and universities that conduct joint research and will continue to support the development and marketing of medical engineering products.

Further information:

develoPPP.de