Speaking at the Hanoi ceremony, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operation Col. Nguyen Nhu Canh said the 63 members of the Level-2 Field Hospital No.2 have received specialised training based on UN standards. Many of them have taken peacekeeping training courses in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, France and ASEAN member states.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong gave the order for the Level-2 Field Hospital No.2 to depart for peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, asking them to learn from the first hospital’s experience and avoid interrupting operation of the South Sudan field hospital when taking over its new mission.

Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh said Vietnam sending another group of military medics to join UN peacekeeping operations shows the country’s active contribution to maintaining regional and global peace and security.

Vinh urged the second hospital’s personnel to stay united, overcome hardship and complete all tasks assigned by the country and the UN. They must always comply with the UN’s peacekeeping rules and discipline as well as local and Vietnamese laws when performing their duties, he said.

The second hospital’s personnel will be transported by military aircraft C-17 provided by Australia.

Vietnam dispatched its first level-2 hospital to the UN mission in South Sudan in October 2018.

Officers and soldiers of the hospital have completed their mission to ensure health care for UN peacekeepers in South Sudan. They also joined defence foreign affairs and served as medical care-givers to locals.

An official ceremony to welcome back and honour the returning peacekeepers will be held on December 2 at Military Hospital 175 in HCM City.

Since last October, when they first left for South Sudan, the hospital No1 has offered treatment for nearly 1,800 patients, with many life-saving surgeries successfully conducted./.VNA