Japan aids Vietnamese hospitals in COVID-19 fight

On the behalf of the two governments, Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Japanese Ambassador Yamada Takio signed the note.

The ODA grant is worth JPY2 billion (US$18.8 million) in total, including JPY1.8 billion for the Vietnamese side and about JPY200 million for the agents designated by the Japanese Government. It will be disbursed in 18 months, from August 2020 to January 2022.

The assistance aims to provide technical support in upgrading medical equipment at four hospitals of the Vietnamese Health Ministry, namely the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the National Lung Hospital, the Da Nang C Hospital, and the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, thereby helping to improve their capacity in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Appreciating the grant, Acting Health Minister Long expressed his hope that the equipment will be provided for the hospitals soon, asking them to use the new facilities as efficiently as possible so as to continually improve the quality of health examination and treatment.

For his part, Ambassador Yamada Takio said the Japanese Government highly values the Health Ministry of Vietnam’s role in successfully containing the novel coronavirus in the country although this pandemic is still ravaging around the globe.

He also noted when Japan faced a face mask shortage in spring, the Vietnamese Government supported it with over 1.2 million masks, adding that the Japanese people appreciated the gift.

The grant for the four central hospitals of Vietnam is an initiative of the Japanese Foreign Minister that is meant to supply medical equipment for other countries, including Vietnam, in the fastest manner to promote their healthcare capacity, the diplomat added.