Medical equipment funded by the Government of New Zealand will assist Vietnam in the diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases, improving resilient health care system in the country post pandemic.

New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson (3rd left), UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers, and Dr Pham Ngoc Thach, Director of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (2rd left) at the handover ceremony in Hanoi on June 28. Photo: UNICEF

The donation worth NZ$1 million ((US$609,000) was handed over today [June 28] to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases by the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam in partnership with UNICEF.

The medical equipment supported by New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation program and delivered through UNICEF includes Hematology Analyser, Coagulation Analyser, Immunoassay Analyser System, Biochemistry Analyser and Automated DNA/RNA extraction machine.

New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson said: “We hope that the new medical equipment will offer essential support for the hospital, which has been at the forefront of the pandemic, to increase its capacity to more effectively respond to the future outbreaks and provide better care and ensure the well-being of the Vietnamese people.”

She argued that the Covid-19 pandemic had dealt a strong blow to health systems worlwide, including Vietnam. It has emphasized the critical need to invest in building a robust and highly resilient healthcare system to better prepare for future pandemics.

Meanwhile, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers, said the Covid-19 pandemic exposed challenges for every health system across the world, emphasizing the need for stronger primary healthcare services, preventative services, ensuring protection for the most vulnerable, and the importance of delivering services equitably.

It also highlighted the importance of planning for health crises, ensuring a strengthened health system with the skills and equipment needed to treat those needing additional support.

For that reason, “UNICEF is honored to collaborate with the Government of New Zealand to strengthen the capacity of Vietnam’s health system to respond swiftly to diseases of today, and to address future outbreaks effectively,” she stressed.

Dr Pham Ngoc Thach, Director of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said the equipment would be significant to the diagnosis and treatment and good for research and capacity building at the hospital.

The medical equipment is part of the NZ$2 million contribution from New Zealand to support Vietnam’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The support included NZ$1 million for medical equipment, provided through UNICEF Vietnam, and NZ$1 million for community-level economic recovery support through CARE International and Oxfam in Vietnam.