"Devotion for Better Health"

Nguyen Van Thong, Chief Representative of the Thailand-based Pfizer’s branch in Vietnam had an interview with the press on the Global Health Fellows (GHF) program.

 

Pfizer has set up GHF since 2003, with the aim to call on talent and trained volunteers to join non-profitable organizations as well as healthcare programs, which often last from three months to six months each, in Africa, Asia, East Europe and Latin America, including Vietnam. The program was recognized as the leading voluntary campaign conducted by an international firm and become foundation for Pfizer to promote more sustainable and bigger humanitarian activities. For the program, Pfizer has sent skillful staffs to help solve the challenges arising from the community’s healthcare. Since 2003, the program has attracted 213 members, including those from Vietnam, and set up relations with more than 30 partners from 39 nations in the world. The program has given more than 160,000 hours to serve in hospitals as well as create medical solutions for patients. In Vietnam, some members have helped improve the approach to healthcare services as well as helped build long-term partnership with organizations such as the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI), Family Health International (FHI) and Doctors of the World. The GHF program’s members have worked in the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Pediatrics Hospital 1, Pediatrics Hospital 2, Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.      

 

 

We have cooperated with the Hanoi-based University of Medicine, the Ho Chi Minh City-based Medicines and Pharmacy University to grant scholarships for Vietnamese students since 2005. So far, there have had 14 scholarship worth of total US$14,000 given to students. In terms of implementing the international program on trachoma prevention in Vietnam, Pfizer has, through the ITI-Vietnam, provided more than two million doses of Zithromax free of charge for two million people in 21 northern and central provinces since 1999. Under the program, over 89,000 trachoma patients have been given surgeries, totaling US$28 million.  

 

In addition, the Diflucan partnership program is a cooperative initiative between Pfizer and the ministry of health, local doctors and non-governmental organizations in HIV/AIDS-hit developing nations. The program focuses on combining the public and private to treat opportunistic infection diseases with Diflucan medicine. The program started its operation in Vietnam in 2005, under which the Pfizer is in charge of providing medicines while the Family Health International (FHI) in collaboration with Vietnam’ ministry of health is responsible in distributing medicines. Moreover, the Pfizer also funds scientific researches of hospitals across the country, as well as cooperates with the Medical Association of Vietnam to hold scientific seminars to help Vietnamese doctors update information on prevention and treatment against different diseases. Accordingly, there are around 3,000 doctors having attended training courses at home and abroad, with total expense of US$5 million.

 

GHF is launched for Pfizer’s colleagues in the whole world and to be admitted to Pfizer you need to meet specific criteria as followed: the good process of working, at least three years working at Pfizer or its branches, strong commitments in the spirit of charity and social responsibility, ability in working with the disadvantaged, flexibility in front of challenges and difficulties. We recruit not only doctors, nurses, epidemiologists but also writers, journalists, lab engineers, educationists and IT experts. You can send online application at http://home.pfizer.com/globalhealthfellows/how. aspx.  

 

There have had Vietnamese members working in the program and we hope there will have more Vietnamese members to share responsibility with the community. We will surely continue our programs in Vietnam.