Being deeply imbued with Uncle Ho’s teachings: “A good physician must be also a good-natured mother, who wholeheartedly treats and cares for war invalids and sick soldiers, actively improves soldiers’ health, ...,” the Air Defence – Air Force Medical Institute has attached special importance to developing a corps of physicians with “medical ethics, profound medical theories, and arts of healing,” which contributes to the increased quality of pilot selection and the provision of medical examination and treatment for soldiers and people in recent years.

The Air Defence – Air Force Medical Institute is a medical unit, which specialises in scientific research, aviation medicine training, and occupational diseases; health examination and assessment of military pilots, civilian pilots, and aviation employees; provision of medical check-up, first aid, reception and treatment of officers and soldiers from the Air Defence – Air Force Service and military units as well as people living in the area. Recently, the building of the Air Defence – Air Force Service straight to modernity has set down increasingly high requirements for selection of pilot candidates, health assessment of pilots, and provision of medical care for soldiers. Meanwhile, there are not enough doctors and the allocation of doctors among departments is not really appropriate. Some pieces of specialised medical equipment have deteriorated because they were used for ages. The Institute Party Committee and Board of Directors have adopted many synchronous measures to accomplish their assigned tasks, with a focus on the “studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style” according to Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW, dated 18 May 2021 by the Politburo on further implementation of Directive No. 05-CT/TW of the 12^th Politburo. Accordingly, the cultivation of a corps of physicians with “medical ethics, profound medical theories, and arts of healing” is one of the core contents.

Education and training of a corps of doctors with “medical ethics”

Being deeply imbued with Uncle Ho’s teachings: “A good doctor must be like an affectionate mother,” the Institute has attached significance to building a pool of medical cadres and employees, who possess political steadfastness, professional ethics, and responsibility to patients; are self-motivated and creative with work; have professional expertise suitable for mission requirements. Moreover, it has developed and issued a Code of Conduct on the basis of the 12-point Regulation on Medical Ethics promulgated by the Ministry of Health and the Troop Management Manual; stepped up the implementation of emulation movements and campaigns, such as “All efforts are dedicated to patients, striving for successfully completing assigned tasks,” “Five-good military medical unit,” “Medical soldiers follow Uncle Ho’s teaching,” and so on. Furthermore, the Institute requests its departments and divisions to enhance popularisation of missions, military doctors’ honour and responsibility; education and training in medical ethics, office culture, and civilised, polite, hospitable service styles. Departments and divisions align work performance with duties and tasks of each individual. The corps of doctors, nurses, and medical employees elevate their sense of responsibility, self-reliance, and resilience; spare no sacrifice and effort to care for patients; say no to bureaucracy, authoritarianism, workplace harassment.

Clearly perceiving the role of pilot selection and health assessment of pilots in flight training and safety, the Institute instructs the Pilot Selection Department and Aviation Research and Training Department to strictly comply with selection procedures and health assessment of pilots according to specialists suitable for each subject. In the process, the Institute requests its units to strictly abide by Air Force Health Assessment Manual; heighten their sense of responsibility; overcome the simplicity and regard in pilot selection and health assessment. Additionally, it pays attention to proper selection and use of personnel to enable every doctor and nurse to make the most of their capacity and responsibility, maintenance of good order and discipline, and conduct of regular inspection to timely detect and deal with medical workers’ wrongdoings and improper conduct toward patients. Every month, the Institute holds a meeting of the Patient Council to give information about standards, policies and listen to patients’ feelings, aspirations, and recommendations on attitude and responsibility of the corps of doctors, nurses, and medical employees, contributing to the building of patients’ confidence and satisfaction. In the context of complex developments of COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute’s medical staff has adopted many measures to ensure safety of patients and their families, while actively participating in pandemic prevention and response in various hotspots, such as Bac Giang, Ho Chi Minh City, and provinces in southern Viet Nam. Their efforts have been highly appreciated by cadres, soldiers, and people.

Building of a corps of physicians with profound medical theories and arts of healing

The Institute attaches great value to development of a corps of doctors and nurses with comprehensive knowledge of clinical medicine and aviation medicine, capable of meeting both short-term and long-term task requirements in order to improve the quality of pilot selection and health assessment, medical examination and treatment for soldiers and people. Accordingly, the Institute Party Committee and Board of Directors pay attention to the training of a corps of doctors, who specialise in aviation medicine and have sufficient professional knowledge and skills; take initiative in developing plans to cultivate leading medicine specialists and young cadres to create succeeding cadre generations; seek to enhance professional expertise of each specialist. The Institute closely combines on-site training with sending its medical workers to training institutions inside and outside the military, at home and abroad; short-term with basic training; enhancement of professional expertise with broadening knowledge of foreign languages, information technology, and so forth.

Over the past few years, the Institute has collaborated with the Military Medical Division, Logistic Department of the Air Defence – Air Force Service and the Faculty of Service and Arms Medicine, Military Medical Academy to offer specialist level-I, level-II training courses in aviation medicine. In addition, it has actively held international workshops and seminars to exchange expertise in aviation medicine with the corps of doctors in the Air Defence – Air Force; invited experts from foreign countries such as Russia, the United States, Australia, etc. to share their professional expertise, knowledge of aviation medicine equipment and their application to training, pilot selection and assessment. Moreover, physicians have also participated in the Asia-Pacific Congress in Nursing Education, the Asian Cardiovascular Congress, technical training, and technology transfer in major hospitals such as the 108th Military Central Hospital, the 103rd Military Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, etc., to improve their comprehension of achievements of domestic and international medicine. Doctors’ and nurses’ expert knowledge and skills in medical examination and treatment have been greatly improved so far. Ninety-five per cent of cadres have completed graduate and postgraduate degrees. Forty-seven physicians hold a specialist level-I, level-II doctorate or a master’s degree. Every year, the Institute achieves its target of selection examination for military pilot candidates and health assessment of pilots and people working on an aircraft, which helps to timely identify potential diseases for treatment, contributing to flight safety and extension of pilot age.

Deeply grasping Uncle Ho’s teachings: “You had better attach importance to research and combination of Eastern and Western medicine to broaden your scope of medical knowledge,” the Institute advocates promoting scientific research and application, which contributes to the increased quality of examination and treatment for patients as well as selection examination for military pilot candidates and health assessment of pilots. Accordingly, the Institute takes an interest in acquiring and upgrading medical equipment; collecting and compiling materials for their professional careers; and encourage the corps of cadres, nurses, and doctors to actively participate in scientific research. Every year, the Institute selects research projects suitable to reality, with a focus on aviation medicine, aiming to increase quality of selection examination for pilot candidates, health assessment of pilots, and treatment of patients. It regularly strengthens and brings into play the role of the Science Council in management, register, coordination of research efforts, and evaluation of initiatives and research projects, ensuring alignment with reality and feasibility. Besides, the Institute creates favourable conditions in terms of time, facility, and money for carrying out studies, evaluation of initiatives and research projects as planned. Therefore, its nurses and doctors have effectively exploited modern medical equipment and successfully adopted many high-tech medical techniques for selection examination, health assessment of pilots, medical examination, first aid provision, treatment of patients such as endoscopic surgery, Phaco surgery, electrocardiogram, gastrointestinal endoscopy, computed tomography, three-dimensional ultrasound, computerised electroencephalogram, ear, nose, and throat endoscopy, intensive care and emergency medicine, system for prevention of hospital-acquired infections, and so on. The Institute conducted research into and evaluated the initiatives of “Software design for monitoring suspected cases of COVID-19 and employees in pandemic” and “Design of automated body disinfection chamber” to support COVID-19 prevention and control in their unit in 2020. Given collective efforts made by leaders, cadres, nurses, doctors, and employees, the Air Defence – Air Force Medical Institute always successfully accomplished their assigned tasks. The Institute Party Committee earned the representative, strong, pure title and the Institute was awarded the title of Determination to Win in the 2016 – 2021 period. It was awarded Certificates of Satisfactory Progress by the Prime Minister in 2019 and 2021 and the Ministry of National Defence’s Excellent Emulation Flags in 2020 and 2021. Without satisfaction of its achievements, the Institute advocates putting more effort into building its high-tech human resources, promoting hospital quality management, and meeting patients’ needs in the coming time. It is necessary to actively and proactively propose measures to select, educate, and train the human resources for clinical medicine and aviation medicine, satisfying mission demands. The Centre of Aviation Medicine needs investment in modern, specialised medical facilities and equipment as planned in order to improve quality of selection examination, health assessment of pilots, health examination and treatment for soldiers and people, contributing to the building of a modern Air Defence – Air Force Service, firm management and protection of the Fatherland’s airspace.

Senior Colonel, Doctor NGUYEN MINH HAI

Director General of the Air Defence – Air Force Medical Institute