The story of Truong Sa 'doctors' who saved people's lives

Bringing life back to fishermen

After many years working at the large Truong Sa island infirmary as a level 1 specialist, Captain Doctor Truong Duc Cuong cannot remember how many nights he stayed up, how many times he performed appendectomy, how many times he provided emergency care to officers and soldiers who suddenly fell ill and fishermen who had unexpected work accidents; but each time he successfully saved a work accident case, successfully performed an operation on a case of acute appendicitis, he was proud and moved: “A doctor’s duty is to save the patient. In Truong Sa, we cannot be slow. All fishermen who come to us are in an emergency and need help, so we must do everything we can to save their lives. We must fulfill our responsibilities and love them like our own relatives,” Captain Cuong shared.

"All the fishermen who came to us were in an emergency and were asking for help, so we had to do everything we could to save their lives."

Among the many patients who were treated and rescued by the Truong Sa Island infirmary, Dr. Cuong will never forget the time he rescued and treated fisherman Phung Ba Hung, born in 1978 and from Nghe An in mid-2016.

At that time, fisherman Hung's fishing boat had been fishing in the Truong Sa archipelago for more than 20 days when Hung was electrocuted. When he was taken to the infirmary, Hung was clinically dead, his entire body was purple, motionless, his pupils were dilated, and his limbs and legs were bruised.

Faced with that situation, Dr. Cuong quickly performed an emergency surgery, took the patient to the hospital, sterilized, gathered equipment, and quickly held a consultation to determine: the patient had suffered from electric shock, drowning, traumatic brain injury, pleural effusion, and a high risk of death. “At that time, all modern machines such as ultrasound and X-ray were mobilized. We held a consultation, transfused blood, infused fluids to increase blood pressure, and actively resuscitated with the spirit of "while there is life, there is hope", but at that time the patient was clinically dead, with only a 1/10 chance of survival. The first day passed, the patient was still in a deep coma, insensitive.

Doctors on Truong Sa Lon Island during a surgery for a fisherman. Photo: Hoang Minh

In my heart, I thought that patient Hung would not survive, but I still hoped and closely monitored him. On the second day, I burst into tears when I saw the patient's fingers move. I called more doctors and nurses to check his blood pressure. I heard that his sinus rhythm was starting to recover. At that time, the patient's family burst into tears of indescribable joy. At the end of the second day, the patient woke up and recognized his relatives. At that time, I was sure that the patient was saved," Dr. Cuong recalled.

While treating patient Hung, Dr. Cuong reported to the Navy and requested the DHC-6 aircraft of the 954th Naval Air Brigade to take patient Hung to the mainland. In the middle of the runway of Truong Sa island, under the propeller of the DHC-6 aircraft, Dr. Cuong held patient Hung's hand and said: "You are alive, we have done our best. Dr. Truong Sa is always by your side. When you are well, let me know." Lying on the stretcher, patient Hung could not speak. Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes as he expressed his gratitude to the doctors of Truong Sa. "That was the most emotional case in my life as a doctor," Dr. Cuong shared.

A fisherman who had an accident at work was taken to Sinh Ton Island for emergency treatment. Photo: Khanh Thien

Another successful rescue of a fisherman that Dr. Cuong could not forget was that of 29-year-old fisherman Hoang Ngoc Son from Ky Anh (Ha Tinh). Dr. Cuong said that at the end of 2016, Truong Sa infirmary received fisherman Son in a state of limpness, loss of sensation, and urinary retention. The patient's family said that fisherman Son was the best fisherman of the sea cucumber fishing vessel QNg 98091TS. Before that, this fisherman dived to a depth of 35m to catch sea cucumbers.

When he surfaced, his stomach was bloated and he fainted, so he was taken to the island for help. After a consultation, it was determined that fisherman Son was paralyzed on one side of his body, had no feeling, and was unresponsive to all four limbs. Doctor Cuong and his team quickly sterilized and took him to a decompression chamber. After a period of treatment, fisherman Son regained consciousness and began to walk step by step. “In cases where fishermen are paralyzed or have urinary retention due to diving deep under the sea, we must quickly take them to a decompression chamber and catheterize them. If emergency treatment is not provided, the patient will rupture their bladder, leading to death or lifelong sequelae. In any case, we must save the patient by all means,” Doctor Cuong shared.

Non-verbal command

Doctor Cuong flipped through the diary of treating soldiers and civilians in distress in the Truong Sa archipelago. Stopping at the bold red line “Soldier Vu Duy Phuong - ruptured pancreas, trauma, abdominal bleeding”, Doctor Cuong said that there are many unexpected situations that happen anytime, anywhere. When traveling at sea, in conditions of strong winds and waves, if a soldier unfortunately has an accident, the doctor is the first person responsible for treating and bringing life to the patient. “That is an immutable duty, an unspoken order, every doctor must remember”, said Mr. Cuong.

CQ boats are ready to rescue fishermen in distress at sea. Photo: Mai Thang

Mr. Cuong said that soldier Vu Duy Phuong and doctor An Quang Vu were on a ship traveling from Naval Region 4 to Truong Sa Lon to receive a mission. During the march, soldier Phuong slipped and fell on the deck of the ship, causing injury and abdominal bleeding. Immediately after the ship docked at Truong Sa port, Phuong was taken straight to the island's infirmary for emergency surgery.

Through ultrasound, patient Phuong's abdomen was found to be filled with blood and intestines and was anemic. Knowing that soldier Phuong had the same blood type as him, without hesitation, doctor Vu volunteered to donate blood to Phuong. After waking up after more than 3 hours of surgery and resuscitation, when he learned that doctor Vu had donated blood to save her, Phuong was moved to tears. Doctor Vu held his comrade's hand and encouraged him, "I'm glad you're healthy." Sharing about donating blood to his comrade, doctor Vu humbly said: "Don't think donating blood is a terrible thing. As a doctor, I can't stand by and watch my comrades suffer from anemia without giving them blood. In my position, anyone can do that, brother"...

In addition to examining and treating soldiers and officers on 21 islands/33 military bases in the Truong Sa archipelago and 15 DK1 platforms, the large Truong Sa Island infirmary is also a health support for fishermen who go offshore to exploit and fish. In 2019 and early 2020, the infirmary provided emergency care and treatment to thousands of patients, of which 3/4 were fishermen who had work-related accidents. “Currently, the island has been equipped with many modern medical devices such as decompression chambers and a modern medical diagnosis system for soldiers and civilians on 9 floating islands in the Truong Sa archipelago.