The Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital has honoured Mr Edward Smith, Honourable Chairman of the Sympathetic Hearts Charity Foundation, in recognition of his active involvement in helping Vietnamese poor children with congenital heart complaints.

The hospital representative presenting a Certificate of Merit to Mr Edward Smith (right)

The 78-year-old Australian national has received Certificates of Merit from municipal People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho, and from the hospital’s leader.

Since December 2015, Mr Edward Smith’s foundation provided free surgery, totalling 1.3 billion VND, for 135 poor children with congenital heart disease.

In addition, his organisation donated the hospital many advanced medical equipment, worth a total of nearly 3.4 billion VND. Included were high frequency oscillation ventilations, echocardiography machines, and neonatal incubators.

Mr Smith’s life was saved by a heart donor 10 years ago. Since then, he has become actively involved in charitable activities, and cardiovascular surgery and intervention programmes for poor children.

In Hue, from 2013 until now, he has helped as many as 400 poor children with heart problems enjoy free surgery, totalling about 2.5 billion VND, at the Hue Central Hospital.