Hanoi (VNA) - A delegation from 108 Military Central Hospital led by its Director - Major General, Professor, Dr Le Huu Song - concluded a productive working visit to the UK from June 10 to 13, advancing strategic medical partnerships with top UK institutions.

The delegation had discussions with the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS), the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, and the Vietnam–UK Business Association (VBUK), and met with medical experts from the University of Oxford.

At the RCS, a leading authority in surgical and dental training and accreditation, the delegation introduced 108 Military Central Hospital (Hospital 108) as one of Vietnam’s top-tier medical institutions, with the capacity to receive and implement advanced medical technologies from abroad. They explored opportunities in the RCS’s international surgical training programmes and its professional accreditation system.

Both sides discussed a proposal to establish a surgical training centre at the Vietnamese hospital based on the RCS model and agreed to set up a working group to move the project forward. Hospital 108 is already an official member of the RCS, meaning it meets the college’s standards for surgical training.

During the meeting, the RCS also awarded its membership certificate to Associate Professor, Dr Vu Ngoc Lam, Deputy Director of Hospital 108. This certification is granted only to candidates who successfully pass the RCS’s professional assessment.

At the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, both parties discussed collaborative opportunities in undergraduate and postgraduate education and medical research, including student exchange programmes. Hospital 108 expressed its intention to send young doctors to short- and long-term training courses at Cambridge and also welcomed Cambridge medical students to undertake clinical placements in Vietnam.

In a separate meeting with the VBUK, Major General Song and VBUK Chairman Hoang Viet Phuong signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in technology transfer, healthcare services, hospital management, medical tourism, aesthetic services, and internship and research opportunities at Hospital 108 for Vietnamese expatriate students pursuing medical studies.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in the UK, Song described the visit as a success, yielding encouraging outcomes and opening up promising prospects for collaboration with the UK’s prestigious medical education and training institutions.

He noted that as part of its strategic vision, Hospital 108 aims to become a centre for technological transfer, adopting at least three to five new medical techniques from abroad each year. In this regard, partnerships with UK medical organisations are of critical importance and provide significant benefits, not just to Hospital 108 but to Vietnam’s broader healthcare system.

He added that the establishment of a surgical training centre modelled on the RCS at Hospital 108 will help standardise the qualifications of Vietnamese surgeons, ensuring their training and certification aligns with international standards. Meanwhile, cooperation with the University of Cambridge will allow young Vietnamese doctors to train at one of the world’s most prestigious medical institutions, while enhancing joint scientific research and student exchange initiatives.

𝄹He also expressed his hope that the partnership with the VBUK will open a new channel for connecting with British healthcare partners and offer the Vietnamese community more options for high-quality medical and aesthetic services in their home country through the hospital’s “Healthy and Beautiful Homeland” programme. Hospital 108 is both a leading national healthcare institution and a top aesthetic centre in Vietnam./.