Country Ambassadors
Ngoc Nguyen

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Head of Respiratory Department at National Lung Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email: On request
How you have helped GAFFI so far?
1. Founded Fungal Research Center at the National Lung Hospital (NLH)
2. Raised awareness to doctors all over the country, who specialized in the respiratory system, through conferences, trainings, workshops, and Multidisciplinary discussions on patients
3. Strengthened diagnostic ability in invasive fungal disease for hematologists through meetings and multidisciplinary discussions
4. Held specialized training sessions in fungal for laboratory employees – in partnership with Sydney University
5. Built the clinical database in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis for NLH

Personal comment on the major needs in Vietnam which GAFFI should be addressing:

Improve LAB capability:
1. Fungal diagnosis in Vietnam mainly depends on cultural techniques. There are only a few hospitals, in the two biggest cities (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City), which conduct fungal culture as a routine test, especially for mold. We can do susceptibility tests for Candida species only, Galactomannan is the only non-culture, diagnostic technique used
2. Specific fungal antibody detection is not available for any fungi
3. There are no laborartories providing azole drug concentration tests

Antifungal drugs need to be accessible at lower prices:
1. New triazoles in Vietnam is overpriced. We commonly use fluconazole and Itraconazole, as other medicines are also very expensive
2. Outpatients have to pay for all antifungal drugs

Links to key fungal/global health institutions in Vietnam:
National Lung Hospital