Australian Governor-General visits Vietnam’s level-2 field hospital

HCM City (VNA) – Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove visited the level-2 field hospital No. 1, based at the Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City, on May 25, which was part of his State visit to Vietnam.

Maj. Gen. Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Military Hospital 175 of the Defence Ministry, said since July 2014, the hospital has been assigned to prepare and train staff, consisting of 63 persons, for the level-2 field hospital to take part in United Nations peacekeeping activities.

The field hospital has continually received assistance from Australia, he said, noting that aside from personnel and financial support for the teaching of English, the Australian army has also provided short- and medium-term training courses for the staff of the field hospital and helped them participate in specialist workshops in Australia.

This active support has helped considerably improve the foreign language, medical and peacekeeping skills of the hospital’s staff, Son added.

Talking to the staff of the level-2 field hospital No. 1, Governor-General Cosgrove said Australia and the countries sending forces to UN peacekeeping missions always want to ensure that their forces will receive care from the most wholehearted military doctors and nurses when they are injured or ill. With the level-2 field hospital, doctors and military medical force of Vietnam will not only serve the Vietnamese army and people but also the world peace.

He added he hopes that military doctors will care for the health and lives of not only the UN peacekeeping force but also people in the countries they work in.

Australia is proud to stand by Vietnam in preparing for and implementing this task. It is his country’s honour to help Vietnam train English skills and support it with some equipment, he said, noting that the two sides have been moving closer and closer to each other during the 20 years of defence cooperation.-VNA