The EU and Luxembourg will provide more than 14.7 million euro in nonrefundable aid and Germany will contribute 500,000 euro worth of medical supplies.

The project will be implemented in four years from 2009 to 2013 to expand services of the Ministry of Health and medical agencies in northern Ha Nam, Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Trieu praised the EU’s support for the Vietnamese healthcare sector in recent years and hoped that the project will improve the quality of healthcare services in Vietnam.

Mr Trieu said that EU-funded projects such as upgrading medical facilities and providing medical check-ups for the poor in northern mountainous and Central Highland regions are giving poor, ethnic minority people access to essential healthcare services.