On May 19, at the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy, Central Party Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long affirmed: "Developing traditional medicine into a strong science is the right, important and urgent direction".
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnamese traditional medicine has a long history, associated with big names such as Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac, Tue Tinh... This is a valuable treasure trove of knowledge, which needs to be preserved and promoted not only to care for people's health but also contribute to promoting Vietnamese culture and identity to the world.
On behalf of the Government, the Deputy Prime Minister praised the efforts and achievements of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy over the 20-year journey of construction and development. To date, the Academy has trained nearly 11,000 medical staff with university and postgraduate degrees, accounting for more than 50% of the traditional medicine workforce nationwide.
The country currently has 14 universities providing university-level training in traditional medicine, of which the Academy plays a core role. Many international cooperation activities have been effectively implemented with prestigious partners from China, Japan, Korea, Europe, etc.
The Government has issued many policies and mechanisms to preserve and develop traditional medicine. Drug-free diagnosis and treatment techniques, traditional medicine, the legal system and state management have all been gradually improved. The Vietnam Oriental Medicine Association at all levels has been active and effective.
Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested the Academy to continue developing on 6 orientations:
deeply grasp the viewpoint of developing traditional medicine associated with national cultural identity;
Building a clean and strong Academy Party Committee, improving governance capacity;
Comprehensively innovate the training of high-quality human resources;
Promote research and application of the medical and surgical techniques of famous Vietnamese doctors;
Strengthen international cooperation, attract leading experts to teach and transfer technology;
Invest in upgrading infrastructure, especially Tue Tinh Hospital - the main practice facility of the Academy.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Huy - Director of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy, this facility currently has more than 6,000 students and more than 700 postgraduate students. The Academy also focuses on short-term training activities, scientific research, technology transfer, meeting practical requirements and spreading the value of traditional medicine internationally.
The Deputy Prime Minister suggested that the Academy continue to promote tradition, improve training quality, promote scientific research, aiming to become a high-quality, in-depth training institution, a pillar of Vietnam's traditional medicine industry.
On this occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Health to promptly remove obstacles to effectively implement the project to build a second facility of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy with unrefundable aid from the Chinese Government.
