Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 27 night expressed the Government and people's appreciation and gratitude to health workers nationwide for their dedication to public healthcare.

He made his acknowledgment while attending a musical program held by the Ministry of Health and Vietnam Television on the occasion of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day [February 27].

The PM lauded health workers’ devotion in times of both war and peace, stressing that for over two years that the Covid-19 pandemic has raged around the world, the “soldiers in white blouses” have always stood out for their medical ethics and bravery.

"The great significance of primary health care which is aimed at reducing diseases, increasing life expectancy, and improving people's quality of life. Therefore, the country will focus on taking care of the frontline medical staff and grassroots health facilities which are the important pillars in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic," Chinh said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the event. Photo: Nhat Bac

The Government leader noted that February 27 is a special day for doctors and nurses. Every year, Vietnamese Doctors’ Day is an occasion to honor medical ethics and encourage medical workers  to be worthy of Uncle Ho's teachings “A doctor is like a nice mother.”

Chinh emphasized that the government and people are proud and grateful to the Vietnamese health workers for their dedication to the mission of taking care of people. He said that all ceremony participants should hold a minute of silence in honor of the soldiers and people who died in the pandemic fight.

Through the extremely difficult and challenging days, PM Chinh assessed that doctors have shown their spirit of pure solidarity, deep love for patients, and devotion to advancing Vietnamese medicine.

To help ease the burden on medical workers and protect the health of each people, family, and the whole community, he called on everyone to uphold their sense of responsibility in the pandemic combat and vaccination.

For his part, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the health sector experienced the difficult and challenging year of 2021 when dealing with the unprecedented fourth wave of the Covid-19. Frontline medical workers became one of the main forces in the fight against the pandemic.

Vietnam puts the goal of protecting the health and life of the people first, Long stressed, adding that the health sector and medical staff, regardless of position, age, region, have strived to protect the health and life of people.

The Vietnamese Government has been considering taking care of people's health as a key task in socio-economic policies. Over the past years, the health sector has translated the orientations of the Party and State into specific tasks at each stage, the minister added.

However, the unprecedented outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed a number of shortcomings and inadequacies that the sector needs to try to overcome as soon as possible, Long said.

The health sector has identified the health strategy as the foundation for other strategies and plans and that primary health care will help to reduce morbidity and increase life expectancy and people's quality of life, the minister stressed.