Upholding Medical Ethics, Mastering Medical Excellence

(DTO) On June 4, 1992, Vietnam's first successful organ transplant (kidney transplant) was performed, marking a historic milestone for the country's medical field.

Over the nearly 34 years since that first transplant, Vietnamese medicine has made remarkable strides in organ transplantation. Eight years after the first kidney transplant, Vietnamese medical teams successfully performed the country’s first heart transplant, followed by a successful liver transplant.

Today, Vietnamese medical professionals have largely mastered organ and limb transplantation techniques, particularly complex procedures such as heart and lung transplants.

In developed countries with advanced healthcare systems, organ and limb transplantation is no longer new. 

However, within the broader context of Vietnam’s medical development, mastering such sophisticated and complex techniques reflects the relentless efforts of generations of doctors and healthcare workers.

After the liberation and reunification of the country on April 30, 1975, Vietnam’s medical teams, equipment, and pharmaceuticals were still very limited, especially in remote and rural areas.

During the renovation and development period (from 1986 onward), medical education expanded significantly. Many medical and pharmaceutical universities were established or upgraded, and the number of newly enrolled medical students increased annually. 

As a result, the number of Medical teams steadily grew. Compared to the early years after reunification, the medical workforce has not only increased in quantity but also improved in professional qualifications, research capacity, practical skills, and application of advanced techniques—making important contributions to both national and international medical development.

Beyond mastering organ and limb transplantation, Vietnam’s medical teams have demonstrated their expertise through numerous other notable achievements, including cardiovascular interventions, robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, in vitro fertilization, high-tech cancer treatment, fetal cardiac intervention to save unborn babies, genetic embryo screening to prevent hereditary diseases, successful control of infectious disease outbreaks, nationwide expanded immunization coverage, domestic vaccine production, and the application of artificial intelligence in diagnostics.

Notably, Vietnam ranks among the top five developing countries with the fastest reduction in maternal and child mortality rates worldwide.

At the same time, Vietnam achieved significant success in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining international recognition for its “rapid-response” strategy. This included early and widespread vaccine coverage, effective control of outbreak waves, large-scale mobilization of healthcare forces, and a gradual transition toward safe adaptation.

From the perspective of medical ethics, Vietnamese doctors have consistently followed President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that “a physician must be like a gentle mother.” They remain dedicated, compassionate, and patient-centered—always placing patients’ health first, treating them as family members, and empathizing with their suffering.

They continuously pursue learning and scientific research to enhance their professional skills, uphold medical ethics, and strengthen their expertise in service of the people.

In any circumstance, Vietnam’s medical workforce has overcome adversity with a single goal: protecting public health. However, alongside these great achievements, doctors still face many concerns and pressures in their professional practice.

These include patient overload—especially at central-level hospitals—intense workloads, frequent night shifts, high professional pressure, and income levels that, particularly at grassroots facilities, do not match the length of training and professional responsibility. There also remain significant disparities in working conditions between urban and remote areas.

More than half a century after the liberation of the South and national reunification, the Vietnamese medical professionals have fulfilled their historic mission: transforming a once-deprived and underdeveloped healthcare system into one that rivals those of the world’s advanced nations. The remaining shortcomings and limitations, which require synchronized solutions to overcome, lie not with the medical teams themselves, but within the strategic role of the State.

By NGUYEN CHUONG
Translated by X.QUANG