Reporter: How have the L2FH’s personnel been trained to meet UN’s requirements?
Lt. Col. Trinh My Hoa: L2FH Rotation 3’s members are from Military Hospital 175 under the MND, the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VNDPKO), Military Regions 2, 7, 9, and Army Corps 4. Since its foundation, the hospital has received due attention from the leadership of the MND, VNDPKO, and military and civilian agencies and units.
The hospital has worked closely with relevant agencies and units to make thorough preparations for its deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, and its personnel have trained hard. As a result, all the hospital’s personnel have met training requirements. 86.7 percent of its staff scored 5.0 points and above in IELTS. In addition, they have successfully drilled in the pre-deployment program of VNDPKO at Division 5 of Military Region 7, as well as conducted other professional exercises. These good outcomes have affirmed the hospital’s qualifications for operation, management and professional expertise.
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L2FH Rotation 3’s members in training |
Reporter: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the hospital’s preparations and deployment?
Lt. Col. Trinh My Hoa: Due to COVID-19, it was impossible to invite foreign experts and instructors to train the hospital’s staff. Fortunately, Vietnam already has experts fully capable of conducting all training programs so the training results of the hospital have highly been recognized by the UN.
Another advantage is that functional agencies and units closely collaborated to organize synergy training programs for the hospital. At present, the hospital’s staff with their good knowledge and professional competence is ready to undertake UN peacekeeping missions. They also have gained sufficient knowledge relating to COVID-19 prevention and control and treatment from training courses provided by the Military Medical University, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Society of Infection Control and more.
Attentively, the average age of the hospital’s personnel is nearly 34, lower than that of the two previous Vietnamese hospitals. In fact, many staff members come from Military Hospital 175’s high quality human resource development programs. They had attended various training courses on foreign language and professional expertise with instructors from developed nations before they were selected for the L2FH Rotation 3.
Reporter: What has the hospital learnt from the two previous ones’ experience?
Lt. Col. Trinh My Hoa: Military Hospital 175 has learnt a lot of practical experience from L2FH Rotation 1 to L2FH Rotation 3. During the preparation, we made some adjustments to the personnel selection process, professional training programs, foreign language courses, and political education for its personnel, to meet the UN’s requirements.
Notably, 18 officers and workers from L2FH Rotation 1 volunteered to join L2FH Rotation 3. With their rich practical experience, they are valuable assets and a key force of L2FH Rotation 3 in terms of medical expertise, logistical-technical services, fire prevention, and security and safety protection.
Furthermore, with valuable advice from the L2FH Rotation 1’s board of directors, and thoughtfulness from the leadership of the MND and the VNDPKO, the hospital have carried out its training in line with reality and got update information about the location, characteristics, and specialties of the place where it will be deployed in South Sudan.
Reporter: Could you please talk about the hospital’s determination and targets?
Lt. Col. Trinh My Hoa: Engaging in UN peacekeeping operations is great honor and pride of the hospital’s personnel. We all know that the mission will help realize the foreign policies of the Vietnamese Party and State, contributing to raising Vietnam’s position in the international arena as well as the Vietnam People’s Army’s prestige and position.
So far, all of its staff have a firm political position, high sense of responsibility, and are ready to take and complete all assigned missions. They are determined to not go on leave during their working term at the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
Under the plan, we will soon leave for South Sudan. When we get there, we will quickly settle down, and conduct twin missions of preventing COVID-19 and providing medical services to patients.
The hospital also sets goals that each department of the hospital has at least a scientific article or research work published on international journals and the hospital will boost military-civilian cooperative ties and organize several cultural and culinary events with the aim of popularizing Vietnam, its people, culture and military to international friends.
Reporter: Thank you very much!
Translated by Mai Huong