Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan on April 6 presented a Labour Order to the Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

The Labour Order is awarded to individuals and collectives who have attained remarkable achievements in their work to benefit the nation.

At the ceremony, the Vice President highlighted humanitarian activities carried out by the association since its establishment in 2003, contributing to poverty elimination and ensuring social welfare.

She called on individuals and social organisations to join hands with the association in helping deprived people.

According to Chairman of the association Tran Lam, in its decade of service, the organisation has helped provide eye surgeries for 42,000 impoverished patients while another 1,551 people have benefited from heart surgeries.

It has also offered free medical check-ups to 306,000 people, given 3,900 wheelchairs to the disabled, and presented 2,300 bicycles and thousands of scholarships for disadvantaged children.

Over the past decade, the association has built 2,200 houses for the poor and 258 concrete bridges, along with other good deeds, he added.

On this occasion, many individuals performing well in the work were granted with the Labour Order and certificates of merit.-VNA