Nghe An Oncology Hospital: 15 years - a journey - Part 3: Building trust and affirming the position of the final specialized hospital in the North Central region
Over the years, along with developing technical expertise and investing in infrastructure, Nghe An Oncology Hospital has continuously improved the quality of patient care, helped disadvantaged cancer patients, built trust, and affirmed its position as a specialized hospital at the end of the North Central region.
Diep Phuong• January 14, 2025
Over the years, along with developing technical expertise and investing in infrastructure, Nghe An Oncology Hospital has continuously improved the quality of patient care, helped disadvantaged cancer patients, built trust, and affirmed its position as a specialized hospital at the end of the North Central region.
In the last days of the year, the scent of agarwood wafted somewhere on the porch, blending with the earth and sky typical of the days before Tet. By the window of the hospital room, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quy (born in 1968, residing in Thanh Chuong district) told us about her 24-year journey of fighting cancer.
Mrs. Quy was moved: “In 2001, when I was 25 weeks pregnant, I discovered a small lump in my left breast, accompanied by symptoms of hot and cold, so I went to a general hospital in the province and was diagnosed with fibroadenoma of the breast, the doctor prescribed surgery to remove the fibroadenoma. Three months after giving birth, I suddenly lost my milk and the tumor recurred, growing larger and larger.”
My family was worried so they took me to K Hospital for a check-up. At that time, the doctors confirmed that I had breast cancer, stage 2. The whole family was shocked by the news, but deep down, I knew I had to fight, because I still had 3 children at home.
When Mrs. Quy had to go to K hospital for treatment, her husband quit his job and brought their youngest child, who was just 3 months old, to Hanoi to take care of his wife. Facing the financial burden for many years; from medicine, living expenses, to travel expenses, the family was exhausted, having to borrow money everywhere; along with missing their two young children at home, the couple collapsed even more.
Hearing the news that Nghe An Oncology Hospital was established, a ray of hope appeared. Immediately, her family researched and decided to transfer to a treatment facility near home, which was convenient for travel, allowed her to visit her child, ease her longing, and cut down on many expenses.
“When I moved to Nghe An Oncology Hospital for treatment, which is close to my home, I felt much more comfortable and convenient in every way. Over the years, the hospital has not only taken care of my health but also made me feel like I was in a second home, where I always felt secure and shared during holidays and Tet. Especially on International Women's Day or Vietnamese Women's Day, the Social Work and Information Department called on charities to give me gifts of encouragement. When my family was in difficulty, Dr. Huong gave me free meals during my treatments; when I lost my hair during chemotherapy, Dr. Huong gave me hair. That was truly a source of encouragement for me to be more steadfast in the fight against the disease, so I can live to this day" - patient Nguyen Thi Quy shared more.
Every day, patient Nguyen Thi Quy has to face the fragile boundary between life and death. However, she has not stopped fighting the physical pain, overcoming all the challenges that life has posed. The long months of treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pain that seemed unbearable; but she still lives, still continues to fight for the past 24 years.
For Mrs. Quy, cancer is not the end, but an opportunity to live stronger, to cherish every moment with her family, to love the loved ones who are always by her side. Even though time passes, every Tet holiday is a time for her to remind herself that life is still beautiful, still full of hope, and cancer is just a small part of it.
Dr. Nguyen Van Huong - Head of the Department of Social Work and Information Technology, and Deputy Head of the Examination Department, Nghe An Oncology Hospital, said that in recent years, the hospital has organized many charitable activities to give gifts to people in difficult circumstances on holidays and Tet; free haircuts and shampoos; built a "zero-dong library"; connected with the Thien Tam Fund and the "For a Bright Tomorrow" Fund to organize the Hair Donation Festival "Hundreds of Hairs, Millions of Smiles" to call for hair donors to raise hair funds for cancer patients being treated at the hospital,...
In addition, doctors and hospital staff also took advantage of personal relationships to call for support from philanthropists and connected with the press to write articles calling for support of hundreds of millions of VND for cancer patients in especially difficult circumstances, helping them overcome the financial burden during treatment.
Currently, Nghe An Oncology Hospital not only serves the examination and treatment needs of patients in the province but also meets the health care needs of people in neighboring provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Laos.
In early May 2024, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cam (born in 1949, residing in Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh) went to Ha Tinh General Hospital for examination and was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was then transferred to the Central Lung Hospital for treatment; for many reasons, he decided to go home and treat himself with traditional herbal medicine. In just a short time, his condition worsened with severe chest pain and difficulty walking. His family panicked and admitted him to Nghe An Oncology Hospital. After 3 rounds of chemotherapy in the Internal Medicine Department, the 2 drugs responded well, and he is now walking normally, eating better, and in stable health.
“At first, when I learned about the treatment regimen, I found it was equivalent to the central level and enjoyed 100% provincial insurance coverage as stated in the card. The hospital is closer, convenient to travel to, and I saw my neighbor with cancer also being treated here, and now he is healthy, so I was very reassured and decided to take my father to Nghe An for hospitalization and treatment,” said Mr. Cam’s son.
Or the case of Mr. TXV's wife (from Xieng Khouang province, Laos), when he received the news that his wife had cervical cancer, Mr. TXV decided to take Mrs. MH (57 years old) to Nghe An Oncology Hospital for treatment. Mrs. MH was hospitalized with symptoms of menorrhagia and dull abdominal pain. After examination and paraclinical tests, Mrs. MH was diagnosed with FIGO IIIC1 cervical cancer (GPB: Squamous cell carcinoma).
“MH patients were treated with a standardized radiotherapy regimen with Cisplatin chemotherapy and IMRT intensity-modulated radiotherapy, helping to achieve maximum doses to the tumor and lymph nodes; while protecting surrounding healthy organs. After the treatment, the tumor responded well, the lymph nodes completely dissolved, and the patient was instructed on the procedures to continue high-dose brachytherapy treatment” - Master, Doctor Nguyen Hai Hoang, Head of the Department of General Radiation shared.
Mrs. MH expressed her joy and gratitude to the doctors of the General Radiation Department for their thoughtful and dedicated treatment during the past time. She said that she and her husband have great confidence in the expertise of the doctors; as well as the hospital's modern radiation therapy system.
Dr. Hoang added that over the years, hundreds of patients have sent emotional thank-you letters to the medical team, expressing their deep gratitude for the dedication, thoughtful care and love they have received. These words of thanks are the clearest proof of the dedication and passion that the medical team at Nghe An Oncology Hospital has contributed. And that is also the source of motivation to give the hospital team more strength to continue to make continuous efforts, helping many patients overcome pain and defeat the disease without having to leave their homeland.
With a scale of more than 1,300 planned hospital beds, more than 1,500 actual hospital beds, a staff of many doctors and nurses with "good medical skills and good medical ethics", more than 1,200 employees, serving 45 departments and centers, Nghe An Oncology Hospital has been affirming its position as the most prestigious cancer treatment facility in the region with thousands of medical examinations and treatments every day; becoming a solid support for cancer patients in the North Central region and neighboring Laos.
In addition, the hospital also actively develops health consultation programs for people, helping them identify and prevent diseases; along with many free screening programs to detect diseases early, helping patients have the opportunity for more effective treatment.
Last year, the Ministry of Health issued Decision No. 2223/QD-BYT dated July 29, 2024, assigning Nghe An Oncology Hospital to assume the role of a tertiary specialized hospital in the North Central region. Along with that, the Nghe An Department of Health also issued Decision No. 1627/QD-SYT, upgrading the hospital's technical expertise to the specialized level, officially effective from January 1, 2025.
These two events are important milestones to gradually implement the goals of Resolution No. 39-NQ/TW dated July 18, 2023 of the Politburo on building and developing Nghe An province to 2030, with a vision to 2045: "Developing Vinh city's healthcare to become the core of the North Central Region's Specialized Medical Center".
Dr. Nguyen Huu Le - Deputy Director of the Department of Health affirmed that the establishment of Nghe An Cancer Hospital was a completely correct decision of the Party and State. Since its establishment, the hospital has always received attention from the Government, the Ministry of Health, and Nghe An province, and has had policies to invest in facilities to develop the hospital.
The leaders of the Department of Health over the years have highly appreciated the tireless efforts of the hospital's Board of Directors and medical staff; especially the important contributions of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Trung - Party Secretary and Director of the Hospital who has led and built the unit into a united, responsible and disciplined collective.
The achievements that the hospital has achieved over the past 15 years have also been recognized by the Ministry of Health when assigning the task of a specialized hospital at the end of the line, planning the core of the North Central region, performing comprehensive tasks from medical examination and treatment to training, directing the line and supporting the transfer of technical expertise to other facilities. Nghe An Oncology Hospital is truly a trusted address for the people of the province and localities in the region.
In the coming time, the leaders of Nghe An Department of Health always believe that the collective of Nghe An Oncology Hospital will maintain its tradition, promote its achievements, continue to build and develop the hospital comprehensively and in-depth, improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, take care of people's health, and contribute to the development of the province's health sector.
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