People in the dialysis village in Vinh city struggle in the heat
(Baonghean.vn) - Under the scorching heat of 39, 40ºC, rented rooms of less than 10m² on Le Ninh Street (Vinh City) are no different from steam boilers for more than a dozen dialysis patients staying here. Illness tormented by the sweltering heat day and night throughout the recent heat wave has further eroded the remaining health of each patient.
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| Late in the afternoon, the old house of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company located on Le Ninh Street, Vinh City, long known as the “dialysis neighborhood”, was still sweltering hot. Many members of the dialysis neighborhood went out of the room to cool down and relieve the stuffiness. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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Mr. Dang Dinh Diem (Thanh Chuong), 71 years old, is one of 11 members of the dialysis ward, clearly showing fatigue because he has not been able to sleep for many days. Mr. Diem said that each rented room is less than 10 square meters, some rooms have 2-3 people, and is located in the East-West direction, so "in the morning the sun shines on the front, in the afternoon the sun shines on the back, all day and all night, no different from a furnace, sometimes even hotter than outside". Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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| “The worst thing is thirst. If we don’t drink, we can’t drink, but if we do, our stomachs will be full. As a result, everyone’s stomachs are swollen like someone who is several months pregnant,” Mr. Diem said. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| A rented room of less than 10 square meters is home to 2-3 people in the dialysis neighborhood. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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| In the sweltering heat, members of the dialysis hamlet said that there used to be 12 people in the hamlet, but 3 days ago, one of the hamlet members could not stand the illness and the heat and died. People in the dialysis hamlet said that because of the fatigue of dialysis and the heat, Mr. Duong (the deceased) could only eat a few spoonfuls of rice and porridge for several days and his blood pressure dropped. Several brothers in the hamlet took him to the hospital for emergency treatment but he did not survive. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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Having been on dialysis for 2 years and only coming home to visit once a year, Kha Van Da (Tuong Duong) has been happier these days when his son comes down to stay with him. Da said: "Having my son come down to play is fun, but I feel sorry for him. The heat doesn't let him sleep until 1 or 2 am." In the hot weather, the father and son huddle together on a single bed, the tiny fan can't dispel the stifling heat of this heat wave even though it's nighttime. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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The weather is 39, 40ºC, but Mr. Da and Mr. Nguyen Van Lap (Quynh Luu) (in blue shirt) still have to find a motorbike taxi ride. “If I don’t have dialysis, I drive. Medicine is free, but I still have to pay for rent, electricity, water, and food, so I still have to work even if I feel healthy and strong. Standing in front of the hospital waiting for customers only earns a few coins. Sometimes I meet people in the same situation, so I help them as much as I can,” Mr. Lap laughed. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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| With only one small fan, on hot days, the temporary solution to reduce the heat in the "dialysis neighborhood" is to ask for plywood panels to saw, replacing the bed panels to reduce the heat. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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| Broken plywood that people no longer use becomes a "lifesaver" for patients in the dialysis area on Le Ninh Street, Vinh City. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
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| Although it doesn't help much with the heat, at least in the case of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu, a member of the dialysis ward who takes care of her husband who just had a stroke and is also undergoing dialysis, the plywood has helped her avoid having to spread plastic sheets on the floor so that her husband can lie on the cramped bed on these hot days. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
