The extraordinary willpower of an excellent female physician

With extraordinary determination and tireless dedication to people's health, the Head of Dien Dong Commune Health Station (Dien Chau) was awarded the noble title of Meritorious Physician.

Doctor of the people

During a visit to Dien Dong, we were personally taken by Ms. Bui Thi Hong - Secretary of the Commune Party Committee to meet Doctor Le Thi Tam, currently the Head of the Commune Health Station, to see and hear the story of one of the typical individuals not only of Dien Dong Commune, but also of the entire Dien Chau District and Nghe An Health Sector in implementing Directive 05 of the Politburo on studying and following the ideology, morality and lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh.

As the head of the commune Party Committee had previously introduced, the health station was located in a clean, green campus. The entire staff and medical staff of the station worked in a two-story building, fully and scientifically arranged, including a reception area, medical examination area, pharmacy, injection room, gynecological examination room, delivery room..., in accordance with national medical standards. To avoid affecting the professional work of the station, we intentionally arrived here when the sun was almost at its peak, and the number of patients coming for examination and health check-ups had decreased compared to the morning.

In a white blouse, Ms. Tam kindly asked Ms. Hoang Thi Loan, a resident of Hamlet 3, who came to ask for advice after several days of pain and fatigue due to a relapse of degenerative disease. Admitting that she often visits the station whenever the weather changes, Ms. Loan said that every time she is examined carefully and attentively by the station chief: "Doctor Tam is good at his job, always cheerful and friendly with the people, so in the village, whoever has any health problems, big or small, thinks of the station, thinks of Ms. Tam first. Every time we come here, we feel very secure."

Seeing the patient off, Ms. Tam turned back to ask for our "sympathy", because anyone who is passionate and dedicated to the medical profession understands how busy it is, regardless of time, rain or shine, as long as the patient needs it, the doctor is always there, ready to support. Watching her take off her medical mask, gently wiping the sweat that remained on her middle-aged face but still had a hint of "rosy beauty" from the past, I couldn't help but blurt out: "Doctor Tam is really beautiful, she looks kind and gentle, just like the saying "A good doctor is like a mother".

In response, she just smiled slightly, as if this was not the first time she had heard such compliments. Then she began to tell us about her life story, a life full of hardships, hidden pain, but above all, altruism, will to live and dedication that few people can do.

Born in 1973 in the poor countryside of Dien Truong commune, Dien Chau district, from a young age, Le Thi Tam had dreamed of studying medicine to treat and save people. When she reached adulthood, unlike other girls her age who chose to drop out of school to do farming, do business or get married early to "settle down" as her parents wished, Tam was determined to pass the exam and was supported by her family to study General Medicine at Nghe An Medical College, now Vinh Medical University.

After graduating, she was accepted to work as a medical practitioner at Dien Dong Commune Health Station, assigned to examine and treat people's illnesses. Together with her enthusiastic colleagues, the young girl Le Thi Tam at that time always tried her best to fulfill the role of the grassroots health care system in examining, treating, and providing primary health care for people. But for her, studying is never enough. Faced with the requirements of practice, overcoming her difficult and deprived personal circumstances, Ms. Tam decided to study general medicine at Thai Binh Medical University in 1998, then in 2013 continued to study as a level I specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hai Phong Medical University. With a solid expertise and a higher degree, but once again, Ms. Tam surprised and admired many people when she still chose to return to the place where she started her career in saving lives. Over the past 20 years, she has remained loyal and steadfast in her position as Station Chief and treating doctor at the Commune Health Station, becoming a "doctor of the people" in Dien Dong commune...

Resolutionthe power to overcome fate

The beloved Dien Dong land is also the place where Ms. Le Thi Tam met and became husband and wife with a gentle, simple man, building a small family that is always warm, happy, and filled with children's laughter. But no one expected that, when Ms. Tam felt the fulfillment and harmony of work and life, a disaster suddenly struck, as the insider described it as "falling straight down from the abyss".

In 2016, when her first son was studying at university in Hanoi, her husband arranged a few days to visit him, to check on him and arrange a decent place for him to live. However, shortly after father and son met, a stroke caused Tam's husband to pass away, without having time to say his last words or give instructions. The bad news was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, she collapsed when she lost her support, and her family lost its breadwinner. Looking at her two young children, and receiving encouragement and comfort from relatives, neighbors and visits from many patients near and far, she tried to hold back her tears and swallow her pain.

“Perhaps the responsibility of being a doctor is what holds me back, what I cling to to overcome the pain of losing my husband,” Ms. Tam confided.

That year, Dien Dong commune was assigned to build a commune that met national standards in health care. The leaders of the Party Committee, the People's Committee, and colleagues at the health station all said that the station could not do without her, especially during this important period. Then people saw a woman, her head wrapped in mourning, still coming to the station every day, taking care of every item, even the smallest, so as not to disappoint everyone's expectations.

The new office building of the station gradually took shape, she continued to review and advise the locality on the contents to meet the Central's criteria, taking on many roles at once - both taking care of the expertise and calling for socialized resources to have more investment and equipment for the medical station. Doctor Tam recalled that at that time, many people from far away also came, those who had a lot supported a lot, those who had little contributed a little, partly because of sympathy and sorrow, partly because of admiration and respect when hearing the story of this female medical station manager. Each heart was received by her and her colleagues with all gratitude and appreciation...

Sweat and tears poured down, in exchange for worthy achievements, Dien Dong was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a commune that met the National Criteria for Health. Looking at the medical staff of the station bursting with joy and happiness, Ms. Tam's heart felt warmed once again, she smiled when thinking about the prospect that people would no longer need to go far but would enjoy better health care right in their hometown...

But fate is a cruel joke, the wheel of fate has been cruel to her time and time again. In 2017, a few days after her husband's first death anniversary, Tam was shocked to hear that her son, whom she loved and hoped for so much, had a traffic accident while exercising and suffered a traumatic brain injury. She hurriedly took a bus to the capital that night, but with a mother's intuition, combined with the professional knowledge of a doctor, she understood that her son was less safe than dangerous. Losing a child - the pain is beyond words, but Tam has never complained about the person who caused the accident to her son. Even suppressing her own feelings, she still forced herself to get up and go to Hanoi, to the police station to ask for exemption from criminal prosecution for that person, then did ideological work for her parents-in-law, daughter, and siblings so that everyone would be less miserable, resentful, and accept forgiveness. The young man who caused the accident that year - about the same age as her son - still keeps in touch regularly, still returns to Dien Chau every year to pay respects to her son, and is considered by her as a descendant of the family.

The day I met her was also the 5th anniversary of her talented, gentle son leaving her. The pain was still there, but she said she still tried to restrain herself to continue living, to continue contributing to the cause of taking care of people's health. Normally, when the family has a death anniversary, if you take a leave of absence, no one will blame you for losing a little bit of expertise, but for Ms. Tam, that was not allowed. That day, while preparing the offering, she received a phone call informing her of an emergency case, a patient suddenly had a disturbance of perception after being quickly diagnosed with acute brain syndrome due to hypoglycemia. She rushed to the patient's house, helped them overcome the dangerous stage, then drove them to the medical station herself for further monitoring and treatment when she learned that the patient was disabled and came from a difficult family. That night, she texted me, happily sharing her joy at having correctly diagnosed the disease and treated it promptly so that the patient was safe without incurring expensive treatment costs - and absolutely without a single complaint or complaint.

Having spent more than half of her life wearing a white blouse, and 20 years as a "captain" taking care of the health of local people, Ms. Tam has never asked for anything, but people often "give" her a bunch of clean vegetables, a fresh fish just caught from her pond... as a thank you to the female doctor. She said that at those times, it was impossible to refuse, because it was the heart of the poor people. She accepted but still made it clear that what she did was her responsibility and duty. The most precious gift to her is that every day, every hour, she can live among the love of everyone, and contribute her strength for the happy and healthy life of the people.

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Specialist Doctor I Le Thi Tam - Head of Dien Dong Commune Health Station, Dien Chau District Health Center, Nghe An Provincial Department of Health has made contributions to the cause of protecting and improving people's health, and was awarded the noble title of Meritorious Physician by the President on November 17, 2020.

Thu Giang