A closer look at the 'dialysis patient community' in Vinh City during the Covid season.
(Baonghean.vn) - Located in an old factory building on Le Ninh Street (Quan Bau Ward, Vinh City), this is the residence of kidney failure patients. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the residents of this "dialysis neighborhood" struggled to get through the difficult times.
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| Mr. Kha Van Giap (born in 1991), from Yen Hoa commune (Tuong Duong district), came to Vinh for dialysis treatment in April 2017. As the main breadwinner for a family of five, Mr. Giap worked as a factory worker in Lam Dong for a while but had to quit due to poor health caused by kidney failure. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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| After returning to his hometown and struggling with his illness for a while, he had to go to Vinh for dialysis treatment in mid-2017 and became a regular resident of the "dialysis neighborhood"; he has to go for dialysis three times a week. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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To make ends meet, Mr. Giap spends one day undergoing dialysis and the next day driving a motorbike taxi. His wife, Ms. Vi Thi On, also has to leave their children with their grandparents and go to Vinh to find extra work to help support her husband. (Photo: Hai Vuong) |
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| With the COVID-19 outbreak, the "dialysis patient community" often keeps its gates closed. Giap, like other dialysis patients, has to stay indoors, only going out for dialysis treatments. His wife single-handedly manages all daily living expenses and household costs. (Photo: Thanh Cuong) |
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| Balancing medical treatment, earning a living, and battling the pandemic, the lives of dialysis patients became even more difficult during the Covid-19 outbreak. Photo: Hai Vuong |
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| “Knowing that the pandemic situation is complicated, everyone here is worried. We just hide at home, only going to the hospital on the day of our dialysis treatment because we don't dare go anywhere else. We've had to stop all our previous part-time jobs,” said Mr. Giap. Photo: Hai Vuong |
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| Kha Van Giap is not the only one; the "dialysis village" has 11 other people in similar circumstances. They are all from remote, disadvantaged areas who rent accommodation here to receive treatment. Normally, they spend one day undergoing dialysis and the other day working odd jobs, driving motorbike taxis, collecting scrap metal, etc., to make ends meet. Photo: Hai Vuong |
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, these "poor people" had to confine themselves to cramped rooms to "escape the virus." According to recommendations, cancer patients, dialysis patients, diabetics, obese individuals, and those with heart failure are particularly vulnerable and at high risk of serious illness. During the Covid season, the "dialysis patient community" was constantly filled with anxiety. (Photo: Thanh Cuong) |
