BRUNSWICK — Dr. Alain Montegut, vice president of primary care development and a primary care physician at the Martin’s Point Brunswick Health Care Center, received the prestigious Medal of Honor for the Health of the People of Vietnam, marking his many contributions to the improvement of the primary health care delivery system and people of Vietnam.

The award is given by the government of Vietnam to honor individuals who have made a significant contribution to the improvement of the health of its people. It is given only occasionally at the discretion of the minister of health, the health system said in a news release.

Montegut began his work with Vietnam in 1995 in cooperation with the Health Strategy Policy Institute of the Ministry of Health. Over the past 17 years, he has worked with five Vietnam Ministers of Health, has given over 75 family medicine workshops in Vietnam, personally trained 20 Vietnamese teachers in Master’s level courses, and gathered close to $10 million in grant funding for Vietnamese medical development, according to Martin’s Point.

“I am confident that family medicine is now a sustainable specialty in Vietnam and will continue to improve the lives and health of Vietnamese people,” Montegut said.