On Tuesday, Mr Erich Johann Lejeune, President of the Germany-based ‘Heart for Heart’ organisation was awarded the title of Honorary Professor by the University of Da Nang (UDN) for his ceaseless devotion to the development of UDN, as well as for his active involvement in humanitarian activities in the city and Viet Nam as a whole.

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Director of the University of Da Nang, (right), and Mr Erich Johann Lejeune

In 2003, Mr Lejeune and his wife Irene Lejeune founded the ‘Heart for Heart’ organisation to support charity activities, heart surgery, and heart disease check-ups and treatment for children in poor localities around the world, including Da Nang of Viet Nam.

In Da Nang, Mr Lejeune and his colleagues have made great contributions to the Da Nang General Hospital by providing modern equipment and medical machines for the hospital, and establishing a consultation council there consisting of the world’s leading domestic and foreign cardiologists.

In addition, the non-profit organisation has funded surgery for over 2,500 very poor children nationwide with congenital heart disease.

Notably, under the help of UDN, Mr Lejeune has effectively cooperated with the Da Nang General Hospital and UDN’s Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy to provide training courses on enhancing the capacity of local doctors and nurses.

In 2013, the UDN presented the title of Honorary Doctor to Mr Lejeune in recognition of his great contributions to the city's healthcare sector. Also, the municipal People’s Committee Chairman presented him and his ‘Heart for Heart’ organisation Certificates of Merit.