Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has a meeting with representatives of COVID-19 frontline medical forces on Monday. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Party and the State always acknowledge the contributions and sacrifice made by frontline medical forces in the fight against COVID-19, said Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính yesterday at a meeting with representatives of the forces nationwide.

He said that frontline medical workers are an important force along with the military, police and others in combating the pandemic.

Those who made outstanding contributions deserve to be honoured, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said many of those meeting the PM took on double tasks - being a doctor and a manager.

The frontline medical forces are not only military medics, police officers, nurses, students and volunteers who help doctors at hospitals but also nuns and even recovered patients. They have taken on duties similar to those of doctors.

“All medical forces have made extremely noble sacrifices and extraordinary efforts. The biggest reward for them is public recognition. Our fight against COVID-19 has not stopped. I hope we will continue in this spirit,” Đam said.

According to Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long, following the call from Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, hundreds of thousands of medical workers and technicians from pandemic-hit localities and nearly 20,000 doctors and nurses mobilised from central and local healthcare facilities have been on duty for more than five months.

Many doctors and nurses volunteered to offer assistance in COVID hot spots. The voluntary spirit and their sacrifice have been shown through stories of a nurse leaving her child at home with grandparents to take on the duty, retired doctors travelling thousands of kilometres to the south or those who overcame the sorrow of losing relatives in the pandemic to continue their work.

They have made double or triple efforts and overcame challenges of having to save patients in poor medical conditions, even suffering great pressure due to overcrowded facilities, or worked non-stop in environments prone to infection risk and stress, he said.

Those difficulties were not obstacles to their spirit. With the motto ‘Putting patients’ health first’, doctors and nurses all thought they should ‘Never give up’, he said.

“Efforts and sacrifices made by medical workers have achieved good results, contributed to the initial success of containing the pandemic across the country,” Long said.

Praising the medical forces for their contribution, Long sent thanks to sectors including local authorities, military forces, volunteers, local business communities and recovered patients for standing side by side with the medical workers to accomplish their tasks.

He also thanked their families who are always a source of encouragement for doctors and nurses to overcome challenges, even risks to wholeheartedly protect public health.

When the fourth wave of the pandemic was pushed back, doctors and nurses returned home. Meanwhile, those from Chợ Rẫy and Bạch Mai hospitals immediately headed to Cà Mau and Thanh Hóa provinces to continue assistance. Doctors and nurses of the intensive care centres of Chợ Rẫy, University Medical Centre (HCM City), Central Huế Hospital will continue their duties until the end of the year to get ready for any new developments.

It is not time to let down our guard. It is time for medical forces to draw lessons from experience to improve their professional capacity, the health minister said. — VNS