The 'free ride' provided by the deputy head of the commune's health station.

In Thanh Nho, if you ask about nurse Nguyen Van Lam – the deputy head of the commune's health station – almost everyone in the village knows him. For many years, the people here have admired his charitable work, having spent hundreds of millions of dong buying a car to transport patients in difficult circumstances free of charge.

Nurse Nguyen Van Lam examines a patient. Photo: Thu Huong

Recounting how he came to be involved with the "zero-cost" bus service, Mr. Lam said that after obtaining his basic nursing certificate, in 1994 he started working at the commune's health station under a preferential program for children of martyrs. In 1998, he was sent by his superiors to study a four-year part-time intermediate nursing program in Vinh City; he graduated in 2002. To meet professional requirements and popularize his qualifications, in 2017 he continued his studies to obtain a college-level nursing degree at the ASEAN College of Medicine and Pharmacy. Since then, he has been appointed Deputy Head of the Thanh Nho Commune Health Station, a position he holds to this day.

During his time working at the commune's health station, he witnessed many difficult and unfortunate lives in need of help. These were patients from impoverished backgrounds whose illnesses worsened and required transfer to a higher-level hospital, but the distance to the hospital was quite far, and transportation options were scarce. Due to the lack of timely emergency care, many patients passed away, leaving behind grief and sorrow for their relatives and families.

Besides excelling in her professional duties, nurse Lam regularly supports those in need. Photo: Thu Huong

Having witnessed many critical cases that still haunt him, Mr. Lam recounted: “There was a woman who, while preparing to give birth, had her placenta stuck in her rib cage, preventing the baby from coming out and causing significant blood loss. Back then, transportation was very limited, and calling an ambulance took hours, so it was too late to save her, and the mother did not survive. Another case, however, was more fortunate; a woman went into labor and went to the commune's health station to give birth. There, the staff and nurses successfully delivered the baby, but unfortunately, the placenta did not come out. Seeing the critical situation, the commune's health station immediately called an ambulance to take the woman to the district general hospital; however, the ambulance didn't arrive until an hour later. Luckily, the woman received timely treatment and her life was saved. Besides these cases, there are many more unfortunate and critical situations that occur repeatedly in daily life.”

As a medical professional, Mr. Nguyen Van Lam always adheres to the 12 principles of medical ethics and President Ho Chi Minh's teaching, "A good doctor must be like a loving mother." He has always been concerned about doing something to help society, especially to provide timely assistance to those facing difficult circumstances such as childbirth, cancer, dialysis, and HIV/AIDS when they are in critical condition. In 2010, Mr. Lam decided to learn to drive. By 2012, with his savings and some borrowed money, he decided to buy a used car worth 350 million VND for transportation and to quickly transport critically ill patients who needed to be transferred to other hospitals. With a vehicle, he joined the ambulance team of the Red Cross Society in the commune.

Nurse Nguyen Van Lam next to his "zero-cost" vehicle.Photo: Thu Huong

Medical officer Nguyen Thi Hang, working at the Thanh Nho Commune Health Station (Thanh Chuong District), said: “Since Nurse Lam bought his car, he has helped many critical cases get transferred to higher-level hospitals in a timely manner. Despite his busy schedule, when he sees a critical case, he readily drives the patient to the emergency room. Once, he was transporting a pregnant woman carrying twins in critical condition to the district hospital for emergency treatment when, unfortunately, she went into labor in the car. With his responsibility and medical ethics, he supported the pregnant woman until she reached the hospital, and luckily, both mother and children are healthy. When recounting this special case, Nurse Lam shared with his colleagues that it is a responsibility and a necessary act of sharing to help patients in difficult times. In both life and work, Nurse Lam is very sociable and always ready to help his colleagues.”

Nurse Nguyen Van Lam administers COVID-19 vaccine to residents. Photo: Thu Huong

In 2020, Mr. Nguyen Van Lam sold his old car and bought a larger new car worth 700 million VND. At that time, the Covid-19 pandemic was raging, and Mr. Lam volunteered to participate in the fight against the pandemic by using his car to transport supplies, necessities, patients, and people undergoing medical quarantine.

While simultaneously working in epidemic prevention and control, he volunteered with the "zero-cost" transportation service, helping poor, homeless, and seriously ill patients get to hospitals in the province for examination and treatment. To date, Mr. Lam doesn't remember how many poor patients he has transported to hospitals on his "zero-cost" service.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, a hemodialysis patient at 115 General Hospital in Nghe An, shared: “We are very grateful to Mr. Lam for his enthusiastic service in transporting patients from their homes to the hospital for examination and treatment. Although the journey is quite long, he doesn't charge a single penny. We hope this service can continue regularly so that people in situations like mine can receive help.”

According to Mr. Lam, to operate the regular bus service successfully, he receives strong support from his family and friends who enthusiastically encourage and motivate him. This drives him to strive to maintain the service because many people need it and it helps to alleviate some of the difficulties faced by patients.

"Helping poor patients is a great joy for me because giving is forever. Helping one person is like building ten towers, and I am trying to do even more to help more people in difficult circumstances," Mr. Nguyen Van Lam shared.

Mr. Tran Dinh Truyen, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Nho commune (Thanh Chuong district), said: "Although there are some units and organizations doing charitable work in the locality, the actions of a compassionate individual like nurse Nguyen Van Lam, Deputy Head of the commune's Health Station, are extremely meaningful and worthy of encouragement. Besides his professional duties, when patients in need require assistance, nurse Lam is always willing to help."