Speakers at the meeting stressed that hospitals play a direct and key role in saving people’s lives, and safe hospitals will help reduce human losses during and after natural disasters.

Vietnam is located in the tropical belt and one of the five stormy zones of the world. So far this year, it has coped with 10 tropical storms and two tropical depressions. Powerful storm Ketsana, which swept across the central region two weeks ago, took 162 lives and injured 616 others. Fourteen people remain missing. Total property and crop damage was estimated at VND14,344 billion (nearly US$850 million).

To mitigate the adverse impact of natural disasters, it requires closer cooperation between State agencies, international organizations and the entire community.

At the event, participants donated goods and money to storm victims in Thua Thien-Hue province, where Ketsana left 15 people dead and 56 injured. 

Save the Children handed over 160 tonnes of rice and 800 boxes of goods worth VND4,230 million to the victims in Phu Loc and Phong Dien districts. JANI – an international disaster management working group presented 15 scholarships each worth VND500,000 to school students in storm-hit areas.

Royal Haskoning Vietnam – an engineering consultancy company – also gave 10 scholarships to students in flooded communes while the Hanoi Communications Association donated VND15 million to Huong Phong commune, Huong Tra district, to repair its medical center.