Medical cooperation is currently one of the leading pillars in the Vietnam-US relationship, and Bach Mai Hospital is one of the bright spots in that cooperation picture. Could you please share the outstanding achievements in the cooperation between Bach Mai hospital and the US partners?
Associate Professor - Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital
Associate Professor - Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital: Over the years, Vietnam in general and Bach Mai Hospital in particular have always received support from the United States in the field of healthcare through various projects. The hospital is currently the focal point of numerous medical cooperation projects between the two countries, including the Project on Enhancing Capacity and Providing HIV Prevention Services, which was launched in 2009. As of November 2021, the hospital continued to receive support from the US CDC through the opening of a new outpatient HIV clinic in the National Hospital Of Tropical Diseases. Through the project, Bach Mai Hospital has become the leading center for HIV in Vietnam with a high rate of viral load suppression nationwide (99%).
Most recently, Bach Mai Hospital was also honored to be supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in building a liquid oxygen system, contributing to improving and enhancing the capacity of patient care at Bach Mai Hospital.
In addition, we must mention the collaborations in activities such as improving testing capacity through the support of essential equipment and ISO quality management systems; building national capacity for infection control; supporting the establishment of a national antibiotic resistance monitoring system; collaborating in epidemiological research related to reducing the number of COVID-19 patients. Particularly, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, in November 2021, Bach Mai Hospital was honored to receive a gene sequencer machine from the US Department of Defense, presented by Ms. Mariage D'amour - Chargé d'affaires de Mission at the US Embassy. Most recently, Bach Mai Hospital was also honored to be supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in building a liquid oxygen system, contributing to improving and enhancing the capacity of patient care at Bach Mai Hospital.
Currently, the hospital also collaborates with over 20 US institutions, organizations, and universities in various healthcare fields.
These collaborations have been concretized through visits, meetings, and working sessions of high-level US leaders to the hospital, such as the United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services - Andrea Palm, United States Deputy Secretary of State - Wendy Sherman, and Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Rochelle Paula Walensky... All delegations have signed important memoranda of cooperation, including the field of high-quality human resources for the hospital.
Annually, the hospital cooperates with and hosts professors who are leading experts from Mayo Clinic and the University of Colorado School of Medicine (USA). These two institutions are world-renowned in various fields, including pediatrics, oncology, and cardiology. To date, the two units have been connected and accompanied each other for 13 years with numerous professional exchanges. Both sides send delegations of doctors to Vietnam and vice versa to share and develop professional procedures in various medical fields. Currently, the hospital also collaborates with over 20 US institutions, organizations, and universities in various healthcare fields.
What is the role of People-to-people diplomacy between Vietnam and the United States in the collaborations between Bach Mai Hospital and US partners ?
The hospital also engages in unique partnerships stemming from people-to-people diplomacy.
Associate Professor - Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital: In addition to the official diplomatic cooperation at the state and government levels, the hospital also engages in unique partnerships stemming from people-to-people diplomacy, which hold special meaning as they are rooted in the interests of both nations’ citizens.
Immediately after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States in 1995, Dr. Carl Edwin Bartecchi, a former American soldier and professor at the University of Colorado, returned to Vietnam and visited Bach Mai Hospital. It was there that fate brought Professor Bartecchi together with Professor Vu Van Dinh, the former Director of Bach Mai Hospital at that time. The encounter between these two remarkable individuals led Professor Bartecchi to establish a project known as the Bach Mai Hospital Project, dedicating nearly 30 years to fostering collaboration between Bach Mai Hospital and its American partners.
It can be said that people-to-people diplomacy has helped Americans and Vietnamese understand each other better and share mutual benefits.
The Bach Mai Hospital Project initiated by Professor Bartecchi has achieved remarkable accomplishments, not only benefiting the hospital but also the healthcare system in Vietnam. He has facilitated the training and internships of Vietnamese doctors in the United States. Thanks to this project, dozens of doctors and nurses from Bach Mai Hospital and other hospitals in Vietnam have had the rare opportunity to intern and learn from the medical field in the United States, directly within US hospitals.
Furthermore, this project has provided Vietnam with the opportunity to host leading professors from the United States and around the world, who come from renowned hospitals, to teach medical students and exchange scientific research findings at conferences in Vietnam. Initially focusing on emergency medicine, the program has expanded to include cardiology, pediatrics, oncology, and more. Every year, two delegations comprising dozens of leading American professors visit Vietnam as part of this program.
Professor Bartecchi has also contributed valuable medical equipment worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars to Vietnam in general, and specifically to Bach Mai Hospital. This equipment includes ventilators, defibrillators, cardiac monitors, endoscopes, ultrasound machines, and even state-of-the-art hospital beds.
Professor Bartecchi's Bach Mai Hospital Project has laid the foundation, built connections, and garnered support from the United States for Bach Mai Hospital over the years. In addition, collaborations from the Resource Exchange International (REI), the Hough Ear Institute, and the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund (VAFF) have also provided assistance to Bach Mai Hospital. These collaborations have involved the establishment of a production workshop for orthopedic devices and prosthetic limbs to support disabled patients, financial support for training and skill enhancement for healthcare professionals, including doctors and medical staff.
It can be said that people-to-people diplomacy has helped Americans and Vietnamese understand each other better and share mutual benefits. As a new generation of leaders, I hope that people-to-people diplomacy will continue to serve as a bridge, enabling young doctors from Bach Mai Hospital to have opportunities to study in the United States and facilitating American doctors to come to Bach Mai Hospital to share experiences, provide training, and teach the doctors at Bach Mai Hospital.
The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership between Vietnam and the United States. How do you assess the Vietnam-US relationship over the past 10 years, particularly in the field of healthcare cooperation?
Associate Professor - Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital: It can be said that bilateral healthcare cooperation is one of the foundational aspects of the Vietnam-US relationship. The cooperation has focused on various important healthcare areas, such as infectious disease prevention, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, hospital infection control, antibiotic resistance, strengthening laboratory testing capacity, and enhancing healthcare workforce capabilities. Both sides have also signed several technical cooperation agreements, which have contributed to enhancing the effectiveness of disease prevention and surveillance efforts, particularly in the context of COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and global health security in Vietnam.
Looking back at the 10 years of the Comprehensive Partnership between Vietnam and the US, and even further, the over 25 years of Vietnam-US relations, Bach Mai Hospital takes pride in being a shining example of healthcare cooperation in general and a destination for the "bridge" of friendship between the people of both nations in particular. Within the hospital, in every department, individual doctors, specialists, professors, and healthcare professionals have engaged in both official and unofficial diplomacy, yielding fruitful outcomes for the cooperation between Bach Mai Hospital and the US.
Thanks to the effective Vietnam-US healthcare cooperation in recent years, many doctors from Bach Mai Hospital have had the opportunity to study at major US hospitals. Upon their return, these doctors have optimized the knowledge they acquired, not only in providing medical care for patients at Bach Mai Hospital but also in transferring knowledge, providing training, and enhancing professional capabilities at lower-level hospitals. As a front-line institution in medical education in Vietnam, Bach Mai Hospital will extend the support from the United States to lower-level hospitals. The assistance provided by the United States is, in essence, assistance to the healthcare system of Vietnam.
As someone directly involved in the process of fostering and benefiting from the fruitful relationship, both as the Director of Bach Mai Hospital and the former Secretary-General of the Vietnam Society of Emergency and Toxicology, I aspire to further strengthen the bond and achieve even greater accomplishments. In the years to come, I envision Bach Mai Hospital establishing even closer ties with US partners, allowing for more young doctors and nurses from Vietnam to study in the United States. Secondly, I aim to continue inviting a greater number of proficient professors and doctors from the United States to come to Vietnam and contribute to the training and sharing of experiences, not limited to Bach Mai Hospital but encompassing various hospitals throughout Vietnam.
Learning from the experiences of our US counterparts, we seek to leverage cooperation and support in order to develop this smart hospital project in the near future.
Moreover, looking towards the future, with the development of the Vietnam-US relationship and healthcare cooperation between the two nations, Bach Mai Hospital is poised to embark on the establishment of an electronic hospital project. Learning from the experiences of our US counterparts, we seek to leverage cooperation and support in order to develop this smart hospital project in the near future.
In order to fully appreciate the miraculous nature of the Vietnam-US relationship, some suggest visiting Bach Mai Hospital, a place that was nearly destroyed by bombings but has now become a hub of highly effective healthcare collaborations between Vietnam and the United States. What are your thoughts on this assessment?
For over 25 years, and especially within the past 10 years of comprehensive partnership between the two countries, the United States has provided significant assistance to Vietnam and Bach Mai Hospital in terms of healthcare, scientific knowledge, and technological advancements.
Associate Professor - Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital: Reversing the tides of history 50 years ago, during those unforgettable 12 days and nights of 1972, Bach Mai Hospital endured the devastating onslaught of bombings. The hospital, which faced destruction on four separate occasions, witnessed the collapse of numerous work and ward buildings, burying several doctors, nurses, technicians, and paramedics who were caring for the patients, within its collapsed structures.
Over the course of 50 years, enough time has passed for the war to recede into the distance, while memories are preserved, and the future is reserved for the younger generations and the ever-expanding relationship between the two countries. Throughout this time, generations of hospital staff have continued to carry on the illustrious historical traditions of Bach Mai Hospital. If one were to seek a symbol in the process of closing the past and looking towards the future in the Vietnam-US relationship, where the people of both nations are increasingly understanding and benefiting from each other, Bach Mai Hospital can be seen as an exemplary model. For over 25 years, and especially within the past 10 years of comprehensive partnership between the two countries, the United States has provided significant assistance to Vietnam and Bach Mai Hospital in terms of healthcare, scientific knowledge, and technological advancements. This aid has facilitated the transfer of modern techniques and the training of highly skilled personnel, positioning Vietnam at the forefront of expertise in various medical fields.
Personally, I hope that in the coming years, the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Health will create opportunities for closer collaboration between Bach Mai Hospital and US organizations and hospitals. This would allow Bach Mai to reach even greater heights, have access to modern medical practices, and further develop the domestic healthcare system, fulfilling its responsibility as a leading hospital in Vietnam.
Thank you, sir!
Mrs. Walensky, Director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressed her satisfaction and commitment during her visit to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. In an official statement, she remarked, "I had the opportunity to visit Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, and I am delighted to witness the effectiveness and sustainability of the support provided by the CDC to Bach Mai Hospital. We remain committed to continuing our assistance to the hospital in the upcoming phase."
In 2023, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) celebrated a significant milestone of 25 years of presence in Vietnam, showcasing a diverse range of activities that have yielded positive results and further underscored the expanding cooperation between the two sides. Since 1998, the CDC has been providing assistance to Vietnam in combating HIV/AIDS, and this collaboration continues to thrive under the framework of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in coordination with the Ministry of Health and local community partners.