Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, not only people’s trust in the Party and State has been enhanced but also the admiration of people and the international community for the country’s health sector, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh said on April 24.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (second, right) presents a gift to
the Ministry of Health at the meeting on April 24 (Photo: VNA)

In a visit to the Ministry of Health in Hanoi, she said Vietnam has basically managed to control the pandemic and protect people’s lives and health while maintaining production and business and ensuring social security.

In response to appeals from Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, calls from the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and directives from the Prime Minister, the entire political system and the population have adopted an attitude of “fighting the pandemic is like fighting an enemy”. The health sector’s “white-bloused soldiers” have constantly stood firmly in the frontlines, she added.

Vietnam gained initial success in curbing the spread of COVID-19, the Vice President believes.

As at the morning of April 24, the global total of COVID-19 cases surpassed 2.7 million, including over 190,000 fatalities. 

Meanwhile, Vietnam had just 268 patients, 224, or 84%, of whom have fully recovered. Most notably, it has not recorded any fatalities, and the country’s severe cases have improved on a daily basis, she said. 

The Vice President lauded the around-the-clock efforts by the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, which she said greatly contributed to the treatment and prevention of the coronavirus.

The hospital treated more than half of all cases nationwide. Five of the six severe cases in the country were in the hospital, and their health has improved.

A new battle, however, is approaching, she said, voicing a belief that the health sector must continue to actively treat remaining cases and monitor those moved into quarantine as more Vietnamese return from overseas and foreign experts arrive in the country.

With vigilance sustained and complacency avoided, Vice President Thinh believes the country won’t record any deaths or infections among health workers.

She expressed a hope that the health sector will weather all difficulties and maintain its solidarity in the fight against COVID-19, thus helping bring success to Vietnam and the world.

Appreciating the Vice President’s words of encouragement, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the international community holds Vietnam’s rapid and timely response to the pandemic in high regard.

The health sector, he went on, wishes to join hands with the population to reap complete success in the battle against COVID-19.

Vice President Thinh also honoured the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases with a third-class Labour Order for its outstanding achievements in tackling the coronavirus.