During the fierce resistance war against the U.S., the demand for treating wounded soldiers, especially burn cases, became an urgent issue.

On December 1, 1964, the Burn Department of the 103 Military Hospital was established, with the mission to care for and treat frontline soldiers. After many years of overcoming challenges, the Lê Hữu Trác National Burn Institute was established in 1991, becoming the leading center for burn treatment in Vietnam. By 2019, the institute was officially renamed the Lê Hữu Trác National Burn Hospital, under the Vietnam Military Medical University. The hospital not only performs emergency care and treatment for burn patients and post-burn sequelae but also participates in disaster relief efforts. Additionally, the hospital focuses on training specialized staff, developing a national burn treatment network, and strengthening international cooperation and research to improve medical expertise and service quality.

In the 5-year period (2019 – 2023), the Lê Hữu Trác National Burn Hospital has affirmed its important role in patient intake, emergency response, and treatment, successfully completing its assigned political tasks. Under the leadership of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors, the hospital has continuously improved treatment quality, developed new techniques, and upgraded infrastructure and equipment. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, the hospital proactively implemented preventive measures, organized screening, and vaccinated thousands of staff, military personnel, and civilians, ensuring the safety of both employees and patients. The hospital’s emergency and resuscitation efforts made significant progress, particularly in treating severe and complex burn cases, increasing the survival rate. During this period, the hospital handled 85 mass burn incidents, many of which had a 100% survival rate, demonstrating the effectiveness of its treatment methods. The hospital also emphasized the application of modern techniques in treatment, such as endoscopic diagnosis of respiratory burns and reconstructive surgery, achieving positive outcomes for patients. Notably, the hospital has maintained high-quality burn sequelae plastic and cosmetic surgeries, with many advanced techniques applied to significantly improve patients’ health conditions. Among the achievements, the hospital treated 2,983 burn shock cases, performed lung ventilation techniques for 132 cases, and conducted continuous blood filtration for 895 cases. Rehabilitation techniques were also regularly performed, with 281,228 sessions completed, while the production and use of products like porcine dermis sheets and allogeneic skin reached a total of 102,545 sheets and 4,740 allogeneic skin units.

The training at Lê Hữu Trác National Burn Hospital is conducted comprehensively and effectively, serving as a practical facility for the Military Medical Academy and training burn specialists nationwide. The hospital continuously improves its teaching methods, focusing on learner-centered approaches and utilizing modern teaching tools. Over the past 5 years, thousands of theoretical and practical hours have been organized, with the strong development of the teaching staff. The hospital also carried out many research projects linked to practical treatment, including 03 Ministry of Defense-level projects, 02 Ministry of Health-level projects, and 43 hospital-level projects, while also winning first place in the 2023 Military Chief Nursing Contest. International cooperation with experts from Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong has also been effectively maintained, enhancing professional expertise and sharing experiences in disaster medicine and burns.

Lê Hữu Trác National Burn Hospital has achieved many significant accomplishments thanks to the close leadership and direction of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors, along with effective measures in task implementation. The hospital regularly adheres to the Party, State, and Army’s directives, closely aligning with real-world conditions to develop feasible plans, thereby creating a professional and equitable working environment. In practice, the hospital has organized many emulation movements, such as the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam People’s Army, and responded to social programs, including Covid-19 prevention and new rural development. Through these, hospital staff and soldiers actively contributed, donating to support policy families and improving patient treatment and care quality, contributing to building a positive image of the unit in the community. The unit has effectively implemented the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, enhancing work efficiency and building a strong unit. All staff, soldiers, and personnel fully understand their tasks and actively fight against incorrect views, defending the Party’s ideological foundation. The hospital leadership has improved command capabilities, strengthened hospital quality evaluation criteria as required, and maintained discipline and regularity, with no disciplinary violations in recent years. The hospital also cares for its staff and actively participates in community activities, contributing to poverty alleviation and supporting policy beneficiaries. Through charity programs, the unit donates hundreds of millions of dong each year to help disadvantaged patients and contributes to protection funds, demonstrating high social responsibility and the unit’s humanitarian spirit. The hospital’s Party Committee focuses on building a clean and strong Party organization, enhancing political and ideological quality. The hospital regularly updates political theory education for staff, adheres to Party and State directives and resolutions, fostering unity within the Party. The Party Committee successfully organized the 8th Hospital Party Congress and developed the team of staff and Party members, helping the hospital fulfill its tasks and receive many awards from the Party and the State.

In recent years (2019-2023), the Party Committee of the Hospital has achieved many commendable titles and high-level awards, including the Military Medical Academy’s Emulation Flag, Ministry of Defense’s Emulation Flag, Government’s Emulation Flag, Ministry of Defense’s Emulation Flag… The hospital has been honored with the Third-Class Labor Medal, along with many Certificates of Merit from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, and local governments. In 2022, the hospital received the Government’s Emulation Flag and many Certificates of Merit from relevant agencies. By 2023, the hospital continued to be recognized with the Ministry of Defense’s Emulation Flag and other Certificates of Merit. These titles and awards are not only the collective effort but also a strong determination of the Party Committee to improve service quality and fulfill its political mission.

Translated by Dang Nga