Education and Training – Nam Can Tho University and Philips Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding on a 3-year cooperation (2022–2024) in training, aiming to develop a healthcare workforce to serve and support medical treatment in Can Tho City and the Mekong Delta region.

Under this collaboration program, final-year students in the health sciences—specifically medical imaging technicians and general practitioners—will participate in training courses ranging from basic to advanced levels in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), interventional imaging, ultrasound, as well as the use of intensive care and emergency equipment in clinical practice.

The program combines both theoretical instruction and hands-on training, delivered directly by professionally trained clinical application and product specialists from Philips

Final-year medical students will carry out their practical training at Nam Can Tho University Hospital—a unit under Nam Can Tho University—which is equipped with the most advanced and modern medical systems and devices available today.

It is expected that Nam Can Tho University Hospital, with a capacity of 300 beds and departments, 14 will specialized commence operations in the first quarter of 2022. This will help reduce the burden on the healthcare system and improve the quality of medical examination and treatment for people in Can Tho City as well as the Mekong Delta region.

Dr. Lawyer Nguyen Tien Dung, Chairman of the Council of Nam Can Tho University, Speaking at the ceremony:

“In order to meet the practical training needs of our students, enhance their skills and improve their professional competence, the University places great emphasis on strengthening cooperation with enterprises. This is a strategic approach to effectively address the issue of employment for graduates.

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Lawyer and Chairman of the Council of Nam Can Tho University, delivered a speech at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony.

Recently, Philips has been collaborating with many leading hospitals as well as professional associations to organize numerous advanced training courses for healthcare staff, contributing to the development of a high-quality healthcare workforce globally and in Vietnam.

Under this cooperation program, Philips will award two annual scholarships to the most outstanding students participating in advanced training courses at the Philips Training Center located at the Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, both parties signed the cooperation agreement through an online form.

Mr. Hugo Luik, General Director of Philips Vietnam, stated:

“The training cooperation with Nam Can Tho University is very meaningful because we are transferring knowledge to students—the next generation—who will contribute to the development of the healthcare sector in Vietnam in the future. We hope this training cooperation program will serve as a catalyst to help students quickly grasp new medical technologies worldwide, thereby contributing to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment in Can Tho City in particular and the Mekong Delta region in general.

Present and witnessing the cooperation ceremony, Mr. Frank de Laat—Deputy Consul General of the Royal Netherlands Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City—expressed strong support for the capacity-building program for medical students.

Mr. Frank de Laat remarked: “I believe this cooperative relationship will be a typical example, confirming the success of economic and educational cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands.”