A delegation representing the HCMC Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of HCMC, led by Mr. Le Quoc Phong, Member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, visited veteran medical professionals to mark the 71st anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors’ Day on February 26.
Calling on People’s Doctor, Assoc. Prof. – Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, former Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Le Quoc Phong conveyed the city’s profound gratitude for his outstanding contributions to the national healthcare sector and public health protection. He highlighted Dr. Nguyen Truong Son’s pivotal role in advancing high-tech medical techniques, particularly kidney and liver transplants, as well as peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
City leaders, he noted, would never forget Dr. Nguyen Truong Son’s steadfast presence during the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. At the height of the crisis, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son not only provided strategic direction but also served as a vital professional anchor for frontline doctors and nurses. The city leader wished him good health and expressed hope that he would continue offering guidance and support as HCMC strives to become a leading healthcare hub in ASEAN.
The delegation also visited People’s Doctor, Major General, Assoc. Prof. - Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, President of the HCMC Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and former Director of Military Hospital 175 under the Ministry of National Defense. Mr. Le Quoc Phong expressed deep appreciation for his significant contributions to military and civilian healthcare, as well as his efforts to strengthen coordination between central-level medical institutions and the city.
He commended Military Hospital 175 for its modern infrastructure, high-quality services, and professional medical staff—achievements to which Dr. Nguyen Hong Son had made substantial contributions.
In response, Dr. Nguyen Hong Son thanked city leaders and affirmed his continued engagement in the Central Committee for Protection and Healthcare of Senior Officials, alongside his teaching of future generations of medical students and doctors. He pledged to keep contributing his expertise to the sector’s development.
Regarding the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, he noted that after organizational consolidation, it now supports more than 25,000 members with a workforce of just nine permanent staff and 30 contract employees. Its headquarters in Cho Lon Ward is severely dilapidated. The association has urged the city to expedite the long-delayed construction of the “Lang Cam” (Orange Village) project in Xuan Thoi Son Commune.
Mr. Le Quoc Phong affirmed that relevant agencies would be directed to accelerate procedures, aiming to commence several key components of the project by August.
