On the morning of June 20th, the Hon Ged Kearney, the Australian Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, visited Vietnam National Children’s Hospital. The delegation accompany the Assistant Minister are representatives from the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The purpose of the visit was to discuss with the programs supported by the Australian Government, including the Child Protection Committee and “Enhancing Capacity for COVID-19 Vaccination Deployment in Vietnam and Catch-Up Vaccination for Children Not Vaccinated During the Pandemic” program.
The hospital’s Board of Directors and leaders from various departments/centers warmly welcomed the delegation.
Associate Professor Tran Minh Dien, Director of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, was honored and pleasured to greet the delegation and introduced the hospital’s functions, duties, and achievements over the years.
Discussing the meeting, Associate Professor Tran Minh Dien shared that the hospital has established a Child Protection Committee and developed procedures for receiving and caring for abused/suspected abused patients. The hospital has also strengthened coordination with government agencies, legal entities, and relevant functional units. With UNICEF’s support, the hospital has implemented the Child Protection Committee’s activities which meets the standard model from Australia and the Philippines, and gets positive results.
Regarding COVID-19 vaccination and routine immunizations for children, the hospital has enhanced management and monitoring methods, focusing on children with chronic underlying conditions or those hospitalized. Thanks to the epidemiological surveillance system, by the end of 2022-2023, the hospital reported various diseases such as Influenza, Adenovirus, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae to the Ministry of Health. Consequently, the Ministry provided precise directives to the hospital and the entire health system, alerting the community. Currently, many diseases related to viruses and bacteria can re-emerge and attack children in Vietnam, such as Measles, Pertussis, and Diphtheria. Therefore, timely actions, plans, and policies are needed.
Associate Professor Tran Minh Dien also highly appreciated the Australian Ministry of Health, UNICEF, WHO, and international organizations for their continuous support and warnings, helping the hospital prepare resources and develop better strategies to enhance children’s health care.
Responding to the director’s announcement, Ms. Ged Kearney, Australian Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, said: “I sincerely thank the representatives of UNICEF and WHO for accompanying me on this visit and especially thank Vietnam National Children’s Hospital for your warm welcome. I am very impressed with the hospital’s achievements over the years and very pleased with the good results from the child protection and vaccination programs supported by the Australian Government implemented at the hospital. Despite many challenges during implementation, you have overcome all difficulties and made the best efforts towards protecting and improving the quality of children’s health care in Vietnam.”
Ms. Ged Kearney, Australian Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care spoke at the meeting.
Ms. Rana Flowers – UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, affirmed that the rights of child protection and health care can change children’s lives. When the hospital has the correct procedures and approaches, it can identify, signal, and deep into issues of domestic violence and child abuse, leading to timely protective actions for children.
Ms. Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, shares on child protection.
During the meeting, Dr. Do Minh Loan, Head of the Adolescent Medicine Department, and Dr. Le Kien Ngai, Head of the Infection Control and Prevention Department, reported on the activities based on the two programs funded by the Australian Government.
Dr. Do Minh Loan, Head of the Adolescent Medicine Department, and Dr. Le Kien Ngai, Head of the Infection Control and Prevention Department, presented at the program.
The delegation highly evaluated the reports of the hospital. Both sides had the opportunity to discuss and answer questions related to the above contents, sharing professional experiences and the best support directions for future programs in Vietnam.
On behalf of WHO, Dr. Sangjun Moon, Team Coordinator, Health Security Team, thanked Vietnam National Children’s Hospital for its contributions to the vaccination program funded by WHO. This program is essential and crucial, helping reduce the severity of the disease, hospitalization, and mortality rate. The program also contributes to epidemic prevention, bringing a new life to Vietnamese children, and promotes socio-economic development.
Dr. Sangjun Moon, Representative of WHO, appreciates the hospital’s contributions to the vaccination program.
Within the program’s framework, the delegation also visited the Emergency and Poison Control Department and the Vaccination Consultation Clinic of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital.
The visit of Australian Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care to Vietnam National Children’s Hospital reaffirmed the excellent relationship between the health sectors of the two countries, promising many positive and practical cooperation outcomes in the future.
