The figure was released at a high-level forum on the issue and sustainable development in Vietnam on Monday in Hanoi. The Ministry of Health in conjunction with the World Health Organisation jointly hosted the event. According to a report at the forum, 2012 saw 73% of all deaths and 66% of the national disease load attributed to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.
The main reason behind these diseases are increased risks from smoking, alcohol usage, inadequate nutrition, lack of exercise leading to obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and fat content. Reports from the UN warns that if necessary prevention measures are not put into place, hospital costs to treat such diseases in developing countries like Vietnam could reach 7 trillion USD. Suitable action plans, experts estimate, could bring this figure down to roughly 170 billion USD.
