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| National hero: Professor Hoang Dinh Cau met with some victims of Viet Nam’s agent orange in 2005. — Photo http://www.who.int |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI — A solemn meeting to celebrate the 100th of the birth anniversary of former Deputy Minister of Health Dr Hoang Dinh Cau (1917-2005) was held in Ha Noi on Thursday to honour his great contributions to human well-being.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said at the event that Professor Cau was among the country’s most prestigious and respectable scholars. His career and cause laid a strong foundation for the progression and breakthrough of the country’s healthcare system, he added.
Cau was born in 1917 in central Nghe An province in an intellectual family and began work as a doctor after his university graduation in 1944. He founded the first-ever surgeon branch in North Viet Nam (at the Saint Paul Hospital in Ha Noi) as well as the first pulmonary surgeon branch of the country. During his career, he successfully operated on 2,000 patients with pulmonary diseases.
He also compiled a French-Vietnamese dictionary of medical terminology and Russia-Vietnamese medical terminology. He also compiled other medical encyclopedias in Vietnamese language.
Apart from a long and distinguished career as a pulmonary surgeon and researcher, Professor Cau was also recognised by his peers as a leader: he was president of the Viet Nam Medical Association for 17 years. Yet his best-known work in the country remains his chairmanship of the 10-80 Committee, which was set up to investigate the after-effects of the use of chemicals, such as Agent Orange, during the war. During his career, Professor Cau showed an unending passion for his patients and his mission. — VNS
OVietnam