Volunteers give free medicine to an old woman in Binh Thuan. (Illustrative photo: VNA)
Can Tho (VNA) – The Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in the southwest region decided to extend its target to poor people in general, at a session in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 25.
It has also amended its official name following the decision.
Chairman of the association (now renamed the sponsoring association of the poor in the southwest region) Nguyen Phong Quang said ten months after being established in July 2015, the organisation realised the need for a larger scale of operations so that aid could reach more people.
The association has so far raised 273 billion VND (12.3 million USD) in funds. It has organised free medical check-ups for more than 5,000 patients and will soon put into operation a clinic to serve poor patients across the region.
The southwest region has a population of approximately 18 million, of which over 244,000 people have been classified as impoverished.-VNA
