Hanoi (VNA) – The Party and State always place people at the centre ofdevelopment, and caring for and improving people’s health is one of theimportant tasks and top priorities of Vietnam’s development policy, PresidentVo Van Thuong has affirmed.

Hemade the remarks while addressing a programme held in Hanoi on February 26 tohonour health workers and present awards of the sixth writing contest named “UnsungSacrifice” on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the VietnameseDoctors’ Day (February 27, 1955 - 2024).

Congratulatinghealth workers nationwide on the day, President Thuong said that over the last69 years, generations of health workers have made unceasing efforts to surmountcountless difficulties and devote themselves to the care for, protection, and improvementof public health.

Thehealth sector has obtained significant achievements to make breakthroughs inmany specialised areas, help improve the stature and health of Vietnamesepeople, and greatly contribute to national development, thereby helping thecountry become a bright spot in the realisation of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals and take firm steps towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the fieldof health care, he stated.

The State leader highlighted that the widespread healthcare system from thegrassroots level now covers even remote, border, and maritime areas. Vietnam isamong the best performers in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates whilepeople’s health indexes have been improved considerably.

Besides,he added, low-income earners, ethnic minority people, children, the elderly,and persons with disabilities have been assisted to access medical services. Thequality of health examination and treatment has been increasingly bettered. A numberof epidemics and social diseases have been curbed and eradicated. People’s longevityhas also been improved.

ThePresident noted that many specialised medical advances have become sources ofpride for Vietnam and been recognised in the world, opening a bright prospectfor the treatment of fatal and rare diseases. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic hittingall countries around the world, health workers of Vietnam exerted utmostefforts to join the entire people in the disease combat.

The enormous contributions by the health sector have won recognition from theParty and State, respect and trust from people, and high evaluation from othercountries in the region and the world, he went on.

Inhis speech, President Thuong also pointed out certain difficulties and challengesfacing the sector such as fast population aging, complex changes of diseasepatterns, inappropriate policies for health workers, and overloading athigher-level hospitals.

Giventhis, the immediate task is to quickly perfect related policies and legalregulations, create a professional, safe, and favourable work environment forhealth workers, and encourage the innovative spirit. In addition, it isimportant to boost digital transformation, science - technology application,manpower training, transfer of techniques to lower-level medical facilities,grassroots healthcare development, and preventive medicine, according to theleader.

He called on each health worker to sustain the love for their job, study andaccess new things, master in-depth and modern scientific and technicaladvances, and pay due attention to the training of following generations ofhealth workers.

With their medical ethics, wisdom, talent, and big aspirations, health workers shouldset new visions and targets to help Vietnam’s health sector become one of thebest in the region and the world, the President remarked.

At the programme, awards were presented to 15 entries shortlisted in the finalround of the sixth “Unsung Sacrifice” writing contest on the health sector./.