Expressing gratitude for healthcare workers

68 years ago, on February 27, 1955, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to a conference of medical staff, providing strategic orientations and instructions for the development of Vietnam's health sector. February 27 has been designated as the traditional day for those working in the sector.

It provides an opportunity not only for each healthcare worker to strive for many achievements and continue to effectively take on their glorious tasks, but also for the whole society and every Vietnamese citizen to offer best wishes to the medical staff.

President Ho's teachings in that letter have always been seen as a guideline for generations of doctors to keep practicing and contributing to the cause of protecting people's health.

Currently, more than 500,000 health workers are working across regions of the country. They have devoted themselves to their jobs and have gained numerous achievements, with many of them having been recognised by the international community.

Over the past three years, under the direction of the Party and State, as well as with the timely support and cooperation of ministries, sectors, and localities, the health sector has successfully controlled the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fight against COVID-19 has been full of arduous and countless challenges that are considered unprecedented in the history of Vietnamese healthcare. Although the sector’s capacity and resources remain limited, the whole sector has exerted every effort and achieved many results in battling the pandemic.

The sector has exceeded its socio-economic targets assigned by the National Assembly and basically fulfilled the targets assigned by the Government, helping the country to enter a new stage of “safe adaptation, flexibility and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic”.

However, the pandemic has revealed inadequacies and challenges in the healthcare system, especially those regarding the legal corridor, human resources, medicines, and medical equipment.

More than ever, each health worker needs to uphold the spirit of solidarity, take action to remove difficulties, and join hands to foster the development of Vietnam’s healthcare sector.

In the development journey, with many advantages as well as difficulties and challenges, the health sector needs to seriously review its limitations and weaknesses in order to work out solutions to address them and better serve the people's health in a manner deserving of the trust of the Party and the people.

Celebrating Vietnam Doctors' Day is an occasion for the whole society to honour and express gratitude to the great contributions of doctors and work to support the health sector in fulfilling its mission.

Ministries, sectors and localities should effectively implement resolutions of the National Assembly and the Government as well as the Prime Minister’s directives in overcoming the shortage of medicines and medical equipment at medical examination and treatment establishments.

At the same time, they should coordinate to build a mechanism for public health units to operate more effectively while developing and implementing mechanisms on enhancing human resources and as well as preferential policies for health workers, following with the spirit of the 12th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW, dated October 25, 2017, on strengthening the protection and improvement of people's health in the new period.