Defence ministry reviews army building hinh anh 1Maj. Gen. Nguyen Van Duc, head of the Information and Training Department under the Vietnam People’s Army’s General Political Department (standing) speaks at the press conference (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA)
– The Defence Ministry held a press conference in Hanoi on December 27 to announce outstanding results in building the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) in accordance with the Party’s resolutions and conclusions.

Col. Nguyen Van Tan, deputy head of the Department of Personnel under the VPA’s General Staff, said over the past years, the Central Military Commission and the ministry have strictly followed the Party, State and National Assembly’s resolutions, conclusions and plans with high political determination, focusing on Resolution No.18/NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017 by the 12th Party Central Committee on continuing to renovate the political system for more streamlined and effective apparatus, a scheme on adjusting the VPA organisation for the 2016-2021 period, and a project on restructuring and reforming the operation of the army businesses till 2020.

As a result, the ministry has cut nearly 3,000 personnel on the payroll at the Border Guard High Command, dissolved 14 engineer brigades of reserves under seven corporations, six vocational training establishments, and rearranged four strategic agencies.

Maj. Gen. Nguyen Van Duc, head of the Information and Training Department under the VPA’s General Political Department, said the apparatus rearrangement must make the fighting power of the army stronger.

Maj. Gen. Nguyen Xuan Kien, head of the Military Medicine Department under the General Department of Logistics, said there are 10 military hospitals, five military medical centres, 33 military infirmaries, 138 military clinics and 835 military medical stations nationwide.

The border guards’ military medical forces along the Vietnam -  Laos borderline have paid attention to epidemics prevention and provided free health check-ups and treatment for local residents.

The event also highlighted several military medical models such as Mo Rai military medical station in Mo Rai commune, Sa Thay district, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum; Thom Pe military clinic in Lac Sao district, the Lao province of Bolykhamsay; and Con Dao military medical centre – a joint work between Con Dao district’s medical centre and the military medical force under the district Military High Command.

The military medicine sector recorded outstanding achievements in international cooperation this year. Apart from joint work with ASEAN, Japan, Cuba and France, the sector held an international seminar in Russia, joined activities of the International Committee on Military Medicine, and deployed a field hospital level 2 to South Sudan for the United Nations peacekeeping mission. The hospital has so far offered health check-ups and treatment to over 100 patients and successfully performed a difficult surgery.

For the first time, the Vietnamese and Chinese military medicine forces offered check-ups and treatment to residents in border areas in 2018, a sideline activity within the framework of the fifth Vietnam – China border defence friendship exchange.

The two countries’ military medical sectors are refining a cooperation agreement and preparing for realising twinning agreements between Hospital 301 of China and the Vietnam Traditional Medicine Institute, as well as boosting collaboration in prevention of tropical diseases and exchange of delegations.-VNA 
VNA