A humanitarian campaign launched by the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) and the Ministry of Health aims to provide free health check-ups and treatment for over one million poor people each year in Vietnam, VRC Chairman Nguyen Hai Duong said on October 30. The campaign’s launch ceremony will be held in Hanoi on November 2 with the participation of around 2,000 volunteers. Eight groups of doctors will tour poor districts in the northern and central provinces such as Lang Son, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, Phu Tho and Thanh Hoa. Red Cross Societies and health sectors in 17 out of the 63 cities and provinces throughout the country will participate in the campaign, which calls for community engagement in taking care of individuals from disadvantaged and socially challenging backgrounds, prioritizing those in remote areas and border and island localities. A review workshop is scheduled to take place on the occasion of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day on February 27, 2015. Under the theme “Joining hands for community health”, the campaign will focus on increasing local residents’ awareness of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation, as well as equipping residents with essential skills in first aid, natural disasters response, and emergency rescue efforts. The organization board will provide houses, cows, and health insurance for those living under the poverty line and encourage people to participate in blood donation programs. The campaign is part of the 2014-2017 collaboration program signed this July between the VRC, the Ministry of Health, the Vietnamese People’s Army’s General Department of Politics, and the Vietnamese Young Doctors Association. (Vietnamnews.vn Oct 31)
