Contribute to improving the stature and health of Vietnamese people

On the evening of February 26, in Hanoi, the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Health jointly organized the Program to Honor Vietnamese Doctors and awarded prizes for the 6th "Silent Sacrifice" writing contest on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors' Day (February 27, 1955 - February 27, 2024).

Speaking at the program, President Vo Van Thuong expressed his respect, gratitude and honor to the doctors who have made great contributions to the cause of protecting, caring for and improving people's health.

“On behalf of the Party and State leaders, with respect and love for doctors, I would like to send my warmest regards, best wishes and best wishes to the team of doctors, cadres and employees in the health sector across the country,” the President expressed.

According to President Vo Van Thuong, over the past 69 years, imbued with the profound teachings of President Ho Chi Minh, generations of cadres, doctors and medical staff have always strived and worked tirelessly, overcoming many difficulties, devoting all their heart and soul to the noble mission of "treating and saving people".

As the core and main force in carrying out the task of caring for, protecting and improving people's health, the health sector has achieved important achievements, creating remarkable developments in many specialized fields, contributing to improving the stature and health of Vietnamese people, making a very important contribution to the development of the country, making Vietnam a bright spot in implementing the millennium goals and firmly implementing the United Nations' sustainable development goals by 2030.

Especially in the field of health care, Vietnam is one of the countries with a widespread health system from the grassroots, including remote areas, border areas and islands, leading in reducing maternal and child mortality rates.

People’s health indicators have improved significantly; the poor, ethnic minorities, children, the elderly, the disabled, etc. are all supported to access health services. Medical examination and treatment are increasingly improved. Many epidemics and social diseases have been controlled and eliminated, and people’s health and life expectancy have increased.

Among the medical staff, there are many names that have become shining symbols of medical ethics, dedication, daring to think, daring to do, for the people, for the country, devoted to the sick and are examples of research, innovation and creativity.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic attacking every country and every medical stronghold, the Vietnamese medical team has strived to overcome many difficulties and hardships, endured many losses and sacrifices to join the whole people in doing a good job of disease prevention and control.

The great contributions of the health sector have been recognized by the Party and State with many noble awards, respected and trusted by the people, and highly appreciated by colleagues and people in the country, region and internationally.

The President emphasized that our Party and State always put people at the center of the development process, considering “health as the most valuable asset of each person and society”, “a strong people makes a prosperous country”, “a healthy person makes a healthy country”. Protecting, caring for and improving people’s health is one of the important and top priority tasks.

Encourage the spirit of innovation, dare to think, dare to do

The President also pointed out that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is increasingly facing many challenges, such as climate change, environmental pollution, food security, water security, crises and conflicts, and increasing social pressure.

Many issues are still barriers and bottlenecks such as: Policies and regimes for medical staff are not suitable, the life of medical staff is still difficult, regulations and laws have not kept up with reality, the level of medical management, medical finance, financial autonomy still has many problems, the working environment is sometimes unsafe, overload in upper-level hospitals, etc. are obstacles to the work of caring for, protecting, improving people's health and the work of doctors, which need to be resolved in both the short and long term.

"To join hands to build a scientific, national, and popular Vietnamese healthcare system, to innovate and perfect the healthcare system towards fairness, quality, efficiency, development, and international integration, contributing to the sustainable, prosperous, and happy development of the country, requires us to make more efforts," the President emphasized.

And it is recommended that the health sector, in the immediate future, must quickly complete appropriate policies and laws, establish a professional, safe, and favorable working environment for doctors and medical staff to practice; protect, support, and encourage the spirit of innovation, creativity, and daring to think and do.

Successfully carry out the tasks of the health sector in applying digital transformation, applying science and technology, training human resources, transferring techniques to lower levels, developing grassroots health care, strengthening preventive medicine, combining traditional medicine and modern medicine, etc., striving to meet the health care needs of the people, especially in remote areas, ethnic minority areas, contributing with the Party, State and political system to achieve the goal of ensuring fairness in protecting, caring for and improving people's health.

Promoting the achievements, making constant efforts and continuing to conquer challenges and limitations in diagnosing and treating diseases, each physician needs to always keep the passion for the profession, have the spirit of exploration, research, acceptance of new things, mastering high-tech, specialized, modern science and technology, valuing the continuity between generations, training and nurturing the next generation of the medical industry.

With medical ethics, intelligence, talent and great aspirations, the Vietnamese medical team can set new visions, high goals, strive to bring the Vietnamese medical sector to the top of the countries in the region and reach the world, contributing to solving global health problems, bringing social efficiency and profound humanistic meaning.

Delighted with the achievements, the President emphasized: "We do not forget the challenges and difficulties ahead to remind each other that: The journey of curing diseases, saving lives, and taking care of people's health is a journey without end, the hardships and difficulties of the medical profession never end, requiring every doctor, physician, and medical staff to always keep in mind the Hippocratic oath, be persistent, make more efforts in all aspects, have complete knowledge, complete virtue, a broad mind, and be cautious in behavior as the famous physician Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac once taught and as Uncle Ho advised: "A good physician must be like a mother".

I believe that the medical staff will always be united and creative, joining hands for the cause of caring for, protecting and improving people's health, continuing to write humane and touching stories, continuing to be a great source of inspiration, bringing faith and hope to each person and each family for a better life," the President emphasized .