Catholic Healthcare Association

of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Huy Vo, M.D.
Medical Head, Ben San Leprosy Hospital

Content
Vision
Overview and Activities
AFCMA support
2013 Action plan

Vision
To engage Catholic health workers groups and individuals in
Catholic Healthcare Association of Ho Chi Minh City and of
Vietnam
To strengthen our faith by studying and experiencing Gods
Word and Catholic Church Catechism on bio-medical issues
To cooperate with Caritas HCM City, Catholic
Businesspeople, NGOs and other circles to examine and treat
the sick and the poor, especially HIV/AIDS patients
To represent the views of the Catholic Healthcare Associations
of HCM to AFCMA, other appropriate bodies and at
international meetings and congresses

Overview

Located in Southeast Asia

Bordering China, Laos and

Cambodia

Population: 90 million, over

35 % in urban areas

GDP- per capita (PPP): $3,100

Religions

(Census Viet nam 2009)

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Largest and business capital

7.4 m + 3 m of migrant workers

Catholics: 9,37%

Catholic Healthcare Association

of Ho Chi Minh City
History:
2000: founded by health workers (150 members)
in HCM City
2008: officially recognized as the one among 25
Associations of the Archdiocese, HCM City

Key members: president, vice president,

secretary, treasurer and two chaplains

Some pictures

Thanksgiving of 2 new priests

Order of St. Camillus

4 main groups

Dynamic groups: social medicine, young doctors

Care shelters, centers

Catholic clinics

Public hospitals where many Catholics work

Activities

Regular meetings and retreats at Advent, Lent and

Health Workers Day(27 Feb)

A mass at 1st Saturday morning of every month

Activities

Examine and deliver medicine to the poor in remote

areas carried out by many groups

Activities

Catholic clinics: Tan Dinh, Thien Phuoc, Thanh Mau,

Xom Moi, etc owned by Doctors and Parishes, trying
to show Gods love to patients

Tan Dinh clinic

Xom moi clinic

Activities

Examine and treat the poor,

HIV/AIDS patients (free of charge)
at 2 facilities: Mai Khoi Clinic and
Dong Tien Church

Regular medical check-up for HIV/

AIDS children at Care
Shelters( belonging to Archdiocese
HIV/ AIDS Pastoral Committee)
managed by Order of St. Camillus
Vietnam

Mai Khoi clinic

Activities

Many doctors deliver pre-marriage

preparation, sex education and information on
sexually transmitted infections (STI) to young
people at many parishes

Cooperate with NGOs to examine and treat the

sick and the poor in remote provinces and
Cambodia

Activities

Cooperate with Caritas Ho Chi Minh (reopened in

2008) and Catholic Businesspeople to implement
healthcare programs for migrant workers and 18 Care
Shelters in Ho Chi Minh

HIV children

Activities

Work for governments healthcare centers such as Ben

San leprosy hospital

Patients at Ben San leprosy hospital

AFCMA Support
Financial and professional help for the Relocation of Mai
Khoi Clinic

Dr Buichi Ishijima, Japan Catholic Medical Association

Dr

Freddie Loh and Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia

Dr

Chan and Catholic Doctors of Western Australia

AFCMA Support

JCMA sponsored two delegates to attend FIAMC in

Seoul 2002 and in Taiwan 2004; and

AFCMA sponsored one delegate to attend the 15th

Congress

Taipei, 2004

Action Plan 2013

Continue to develop what we have done and focus on
1.Holding symposia on Biomedical ethics, self-giving spirit
2.Meeting with spiritual leaders to deeply understand the
teachings of the Church
3.Health workers in hospitals would guide and recommend
patients (transferred by Caritas) to appropriate physicians

Action Plan 2013

4. Giving training courses on pre-marriage preparation
at parishes, reproductive health and sex education for
migrant workers
5. Counseling and training in basic medical knowledge
for staff at care shelters and special classes for poor
children
6. Engaging with social charities and ad hoc medical
groups to support expertise

Archbishops Palace, HCM City