Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Health Ministry’s Department for Management of Medical Examination and Treatment, addresses the ceremony in Hanoi on May 12 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) –The Ministry of Health held a ceremony in Hanoi on May 12 to mark theInternational Nurses Day and affirm the role of nurses and midwives in publichealth care, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging around theworld.
This year’sInternational Nurses Day (May 12) coincides with the bicentenary of FlorenceNightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The World Health Organisation (WHO)and the International Council of Nurses also designated 2020 as the InternationalYear of the Nurse and the Midwife.
Highlighting nursesand midwives’ important contributions to the provision of medical services,Director of the Health Ministry’s Department for Management of MedicalExamination and Treatment Luong Ngoc Khue said nurses and midwives have alsoeffectively joined hands with other medical workers in the fight againstCOVID-19.
At present, Vietnamis one of the five countries that have successfully contained the pandemic, andnurses and midwives have considerably helped to secure this success, accordingto him.
However, Vietnam isstill facing a shortage of nurses and midwives, Chairman of the Vietnam NursesAssociation Pham Duc Muc noted, elaborating that the ratio of theseprofessionals in Vietnam remains low – about 11 nurses per 10,000 people, whichis two and three times lower than in Thailand and Malaysia, respectively.
Due to the shortage,the country has yet to be able to provide comprehensive care for patients,which also means patients still need their relatives or hire others to supportthem in hospitals, he admitted.
At the ceremony, WHORepresentative in Vietnam Kidong Park recommended the country invest more in theeducation and empowerment of nurses and midwives, noting that WHO pledges tostand side by side with Vietnam in manpower training in this regard./.
VNA
