The Workshop on "Strengthening clinical nutrition activities and nutrition manpower in hospitals" has recently been jointly organized by The National Institute of Nutrition - Ministry of Health, The Ajinomoto Foundation – The Ajinomoto Group, Ajinomoto Vietnam and FV International Hospital.

Prof. Yasuhiro Kido was discussing with Dr. Ph.D. Nguyen Viet Quynh Thu at the Workshop.
  

Doctor Michio Inukai was sharing about Nutrition Support Teams at hospitals in Japan.

Professors, doctors, nutritionists, university lecturers attended the Workshop.

This is the 8th workshop within the framework of The Vietnam Nutrition System Establishment Project (VINEP) with the attendance of Prof. Yasuhiro Kido –Director of Academic and Scientific Research Department – Japan Dietetic Association; Doctor Michio Inukai – Director of Japan Society of Metabolism and Clinical Nutrition; Assoc. Prof., Ph.D. Nguyen Do Huy – Director of Food and Nutrition Training Center – National Institute of Nutrition; Dr. Ph.D. Nguyen Viet Quynh Thu – Head of Nutrition Department, FV International Hospital; Doctor Chau Thi Kim Lien – Former Head of Internal Kidney Department, Cho Ray Hospital.

The main topics discussed at the Workshop were: Japan's experience in establishing the nutritionist system, developing nutrition training and accelerating nutrition practice in hospitals; introduction of clinical nutrition practice model in Japan and applicable experience in Vietnam; nutrition’s roles in chronic kidney disease treatment; current clinical nutrition practice in hospitals in Vietnam and solutions to nutrition manpower in Vietnam.
Japan is one of the countries that has paid special attention to and began building its nutrition system since very early. In fact, The Japan National Institute of Nutrition was founded in 1920 and the first nutritionist training school in Japan as well as on the globe came into operation five years later. Nutrition policies and laws were gradually established in parallel with annual nutrition surveys. As a result, the meals’ quality of Japanese had improved remarkably with a guaranteed balance in nutrition.

Moreover, Japan also attaches great importance to school nutrition. Each school has a nutrition teacher involved in the management and preparation of lunch menus as well as nutritional education for pupils. This was codified and adopted on May 14th, 2005. With this concern, the rate of obesity in Japan today is maintained at 3.4%, much lower than the UK (25%) and the United States (33%).
At Japanese hospitals, Nutrition Support Teams (NST) have been successfully established. With the full attendance of nutritionists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, rehabilitation technicians, etc., NST assures the process of nutrition care for patients from nutrition screening and assessment to nutrition diagnosis and nutrition care process establishment; evaluates the nutrition care process during the hospital stay, adjust the nutrition care process if needed as well as provide nutrition consultation to outpatients after discharge. With the support and efficient operation of NST, not only does the treatment effectiveness increase but also the cost of treatment in hospitals significantly decreases, shares Dr. Michio Inukai – Director of Japan Society of Metabolism and Clinical Nutrition. Up to now, many universities in Vietnam have been implementing Nutrition Bachelor Courses.

In addition, VINEP also dispatches lecturers from The National Institute of Nutrition and universities to participate in the programs of visiting and studying the nutrition system in Japan.
VINEP will continue to expand its scale of development by collaborating with relevant organizations to extend Nutrition Bachelor Courses to more medical universities and colleges across the country, establishing Vietnam nutrition standards. These are the solid foundation for the Vietnam nutrition system, thus contributing to the improvement of people’s nutrition and health.