Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam visits the kitchen at the Lương Thế Vinh Primary School in Thủ Đức City organised by the Venerable Thích Minh Đạo, abbot of the Nam Thiên Nhất Trụ Pagoda on August 28. — Photo tuoitre.vn

 HCM CITY — With COVID-19 causing confusion and anxiety, having Buddhist and Catholic nuns, monks and volunteers taking care of patients serves as a great spiritual remedy for them to overcome the illness, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam has said.

On Saturday morning he first visited field hospital No. 10 (Thủ Đức City) which has 3,000 beds and more than 1,200 COVID patients now.

It has 15 doctors and more than 70 nurses and 50 non-medical staff, including nuns, monks and practitioners of Buddhism taking care of patients.

Speaking with Đam, Sister Nguyễn Thị Hồng Hạnh of the Ba Ria Dominican Sisters said the volunteers, not familiar initially, were worried, but found it not too difficult or worrisome after being guided by doctors.

Some of the nuns registered to work for one month, some for two months, but when they saw that the demand for patient care was so high, most opted to stay longer, she said.

"COVID patients do not have relatives by their side, and so when they are supported and taken care of and feel love, they recover quickly," she said.

Seeing so many people being discharged, both doctors and volunteers felt very happy, she said.

Đam thanked all the religious volunteers who accepted hardships to join hands with the Government to take care of COVID patients.

"In the midst of the illness causing confusion and anxiety, having nuns, monks [and volunteers] around to encourage and comfort is a great spiritual medicine that energises patients to overcome the illness."

Next he visited the kitchen at the Lương Thế Vinh Primary School in Thủ Đức City organised by the Venerable Thích Minh Đạo, abbot of the Nam Thiên Nhất Trụ Pagoda.

This kitchen serves 4,000-6,000 free meals every day to patients at field hospitals, frontline personnel, disadvantaged people, and students in HCM City and Bình Dương.

Đạo said the kitchen had been functioning since the beginning of July, and currently provided breakfast and dinner every day.

It was manned by volunteers, youth union members and self-defence forces, with the school’s teachers who cook meals for students being the chefs. The pagoda is setting up another kitchen in Bình Dương.

Đam expressed thanks to different religious groups for joining hands with the Government to support frontline workers, patients and people facing difficulties. — VNS