National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) meets with health workers of the 108 Military Central Hospital on February 27, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Chairman Hue described the job of health workers as one of the few with high requirements for both morality and specialised capacity, adding it is a particularly noble job honoured by the Party, State, and people.

He highlighted Vietnam’s proud healthcare achievements, including the considerably improved stature of the Vietnamese people, the average life expectancy higher than the global average and that in many countries with the same income level, the medical service coverage larger than the Southeast Asian and global averages, the successful production of most vaccines used in the expanded vaccination programme, the successful application of many new techniques and high technologies, and especially the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last three years.

He also highly valued the activeness, creativity, and dedication by the staff of the 108 Military Central Hospital to caring for not only senior officials of the Party, State, and army but also for the poor and residents in border and maritime areas.

The hospital is currently one of the biggest centres for tissue and organ transplantation in Vietnam.

Setting several tasks for the hospital, the top legislator affirmed that ministries, central agencies, Party committees, administrations, and the entire political system will continue standing side by side with the health sector by quickly overhauling policies and laws and tackling obstacles and difficulties, thus creating the best possible conditions for public health care and fundamental and breakthrough improvements to the sector to be made.

On this occasion, the NA Chairman visited and offered encouragement to health workers and patients at departments of the hospital.

Sixty-eight years ago, on February 27, 1955, then President Ho Chi Minh delivered a letter to a conference of medical workers, asking the sector to stay united, sincerely care for patients, and develop the country’s health sector. Since then, the date February 27 has become the sector’s traditional day.