On Ferbruary 27th 2008, Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Liem, Director of NHP was greatly honored by the Hero of Labour in the renewal period Bestowal by the Government. Attending the Ceremony, Mr Nguyen Quoc Trieu, Minister of Health addressed and conveyed his congratulations to NHP staff on the event and also on the Vietnamese Physicians’ Day 27-2.

Professor Liem was courageous to perform successfully separation operations on the four conjoined twins, two of which were the most complicated in the world. He studied, introduced, and improved surgical techniques on patients with congenital megacolon, and on patients with imperforate anus by use of post- rectum surgery. He is the first surgeon to succeed in kidney transplant for children in Vietnam. 8 kidney transplant operations and 4 liver transplant operations for children have been performed so far by him and colleagues.

Professor Liem is the first surgeon to perform endoscopic operations on children in Vietnam in 1997, and to repair diaphragm hernia in newborns with chest endoscopy. One thousand successful endoscopic operations is a great contribution made to the establishment and development of the Centre for Endoscopic Surgery at NHP which is highly appreciated by friends all over the world.

Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem also conducted a number of research projects of the National and Ministerial level. Of his 160 publications, 20 projects have been published on reputable international journals.

Professor Liem since appointed Director of NHP, has been a good leader of the Hospital in staff training and hospital management. The National Hospital of Pediatrics is now the leading body nation-wide in creativeness, research, surgical advance and the first hospital to open heart operations and cardiac intervention on children.

Translated by Dang Cao Kham