Military doctors in the border region of Nghe An province save lives on the 'line between life and death'.

The heartbreaking cases of suicide

In the early days of the new spring, the weather was bitterly cold, but in the villages of Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son district), life continued peacefully. At the military-civilian medical clinic...4th Economic and National Defense BrigadeStationed in Phu Kha 2 village, the doctors continue their tireless work of examining, treating, and saving lives. This place has become a familiar address for poor people whenever they face serious health or life-threatening problems. Furthermore, the clinic also treats many cases of people attempting suicide using poisons, most commonly the leaves of the Strychnos nux-vomica plant and pesticides.

Medical personnel of the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade provide emergency treatment to victims of Gelsemium leaf poisoning. (Photo: Archival image)

Doctors at the clinic said that the problem of suicide by ingesting poisonous leaves and pesticides still occurs, although the number of cases has decreased compared to previous years, but it remains a troubling reality in the villages of Na Ngoi and some other communes and districts in the Mekong Delta. “Most recently, on February 9th, just a few days after the Lunar New Year of the Tiger, we received an emergency case becauseeating Gelsemium leaves"suicide," said Dr. Nguyen Cong Minh.

It was a very young girl, born in 2005, who, due to a minor family conflict, decided to take her own life. When her family brought her to the clinic at 4 PM, the patient was drowsy and almost unconscious. Upon learning that she had eaten the leaves of the Gelsemium elegans plant, the doctors and nurses quickly performed emergency procedures to induce vomiting and flush the stomach to reduce the effects of the poison, and transferred her to a higher-level facility for further detoxification treatment to save her life. Fortunately for the patient, her family discovered the situation early and brought her to the clinic immediately. Previously, another case of Gelsemium elegans poisoning was also "rescued" from the clutches of death by the doctors and nurses here: XYB, from Pù Quặc 3 village, born in 2013, who had eaten Gelsemium elegans leaves on her way home from school.

Medical personnel from the 4th Economic and National Defense Corps travel to and from medical facilities to provide healthcare to the people. Photo: Hoai Thu.

According to doctors in this border region, in Na Ngoi commune, in 2021, they received 6 cases of people eating poisonous leaves and 2 cases of people drinking pesticide with the intention of ending their own lives. After being treated and their lives saved, these individuals stated that the main reason for their rash actions was family conflict. They were simply dissatisfied with something in their lives and sought death. After each emergency case, each time they witnessed patients suffering, or even dying, from the highly toxic substances they had ingested, the doctors and nurses were filled with anguish.

“If someone eats a small number of leaves, around 1-3 leaves, and is discovered within an hour of ingestion, and the victim did not drink water at the time, there is hope of saving them by inducing vomiting and performing gastric lavage as soon as possible. Emergency treatment requires urgency and aggressiveness, with the most important being good respiratory control, stopping seizures, and managing cardiac arrhythmias, as the patient is likely to die within 1-7 hours of poisoning. The leaves of the Gelsemium plant contain a highly toxic substance; when ingested, it causes burns, erodes the intestines, and ruptures internal organs containing the poison. Especially, if Gelsemium leaves are eaten with water or alcohol, even just a few leaves will cause rapid death, almost immediately after consumption,” said Dr. Nguyen Cong Minh.

Saving lives on the brink of death.

Throughout their years of service and dedication to the people in the border villages where the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade is stationed, generations of doctors and medical staff have handled thousands of medical cases and made thousands of trips to the villages to provide healthcare for the people. Among the countless situations they have dealt with, besides emergency cases related to the consumption of poisonous leaves, a large proportion involved cases related to women's childbirth. Previously, the local people maintained outdated beliefs, thinking that a woman's body, even in times of serious illness, should not be seen by strangers. Therefore, for a long time, they maintained the practice of giving birth at home, leading to many cases of complications during childbirth, resulting in the death of either the mother or the child, or both.

Pregnant women with dangerous breech or transverse deliveries received timely emergency care from doctors. (Photo: Archival image)

“Fortunately, that situation has gradually improved over the years. For many years now, the villagers have developed the habit of going to the doctor and the clinic whenever they are sick or giving birth,” said Dr. Nguyen Cong Minh. Dr. Minh also shared that this is one of the joys of a military doctor in this remote border region. Because anyone who has been to and witnessed the lives of the people of Na Ngoi in the 1990s and before can see the terrible harm that some outdated customs have caused to the lives of the villagers. In the past, whenever someone in the family fell ill, they would perform rituals themselves or invite shamans to perform ceremonies to appease the “forest spirits,” believing that the sick person was taken by the forest spirits. Because of this belief, countless lives were tragically lost due to a lack of timely medical treatment, especially in difficult childbirth cases.

For example, pregnant woman Ha Y Dia, born in 2003 in Ka Tren village, Na Ngoi commune, was brought to the medical station of the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade at 1:00 AM on January 5, 2022, in a state of fatigue and severe abdominal pain. After examination and ultrasound, doctors diagnosed that the pregnancy was over 39 weeks and showed signs of labor. However, this was a difficult delivery because the pregnant woman was in a transverse presentation – a very rare type of fetal presentation, accounting for only 1% of births worldwide. With a transverse presentation, the safest method is a cesarean section.

However, in remote areas like the border commune of Na Ngoi, cesarean sections are virtually impossible due to limited facilities and equipment. Furthermore, pregnant women often arrive at the clinic already showing signs of labor, with very little time and unpredictable situations. Therefore, after a quick examination and diagnosis, doctors and nurses can only intervene using other methods. For example, in the case of pregnant woman Ha Y Dia, the team led by Dr. Nguyen Cong Minh, along with two medical assistants, Nguyen Van Kien and Nguyen Mai Thuy, after examination...emergencyAfter consultation and using techniques to adjust and rotate the fetus, at 3 a.m. the same day, the mother successfully gave birth to a baby boy weighing 3.8 kg, ensuring the safety of both mother and child.

Medical personnel from the 4th Economic and National Defense Corps visited homes to provide medical examinations and treatment to residents of Na Ngoi commune. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Not long before, the clinic also received the case of Ms. Mua Y Po from Phu Kha 1 village who came to the clinic with a breech pregnancy. Breech presentation is not uncommon, but it is an abnormal fetal condition with many dangerous factors for both mother and child. If not handled carefully, it can be very difficult for the baby's head to come out, leading to suffocation. Fortunately for Ms. Y Po, the doctors at the clinic intervened in time, helping the fetus return to the correct position, ensuring both mother and child are safe. "If both pregnant women, Mua Y Po and Ha Y Dia, had arrived a little later, the lives of both mother and child would have been difficult to save because with a transverse fetal presentation, delivery would be impossible without intervention," said Doctor Minh.

Recounting cases of people giving birth or falling ill and teetering on the brink of death, the doctors and nurses said that each successful treatment gave them more strength and deepened their love and commitment to their profession and to the villages on the border of the Fatherland. During a trip to the Ka Trên village, some elderly people couldn't reach the designated gathering point, so the doctors went to their homes to examine them. Among them was Mrs. Già Nỏ Pó, who lay in her precarious house by the roadside, her entire body swollen and inflamed.

People receive free medical examinations and treatment at the Military-Civilian Medical Clinic of the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade. Photo: Hoai Thu

According to Mr. Pó's relatives, the family had accepted that he was nearing the end of his life, counting down the days until he would pass away. When asked why they hadn't taken him for a check-up, Mr. Pó's wife and children explained that they were struggling financially and couldn't afford treatment. After examination and diagnosis of bone and joint problems and diabetes, the doctors prescribed medication and advised the family to take him to the hospital for treatment, with the clinic providing some financial assistance. Not long after, the family took him for treatment, and his condition has improved. The swelling has subsided, he can walk normally, and lives happily with his family. Every time he meets the doctors, Mr. Pó gratefully shakes their hands and says, "Thank you, soldiers and doctors, for saving me from the brink of death."

Just before the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Tiger, Mr. Mua Chong Cha, the head of Phu Kha 2 village, was very happy and expressed his gratitude to the doctors for their health check-up. He said that about ten years ago, the people of Na Ngoi were very poor. Phu Kha 2 village was no exception. Besides the attention from the government, the villagers also benefited from the help of the officers and soldiers of the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade. Previously, before the medical clinic, when people were sick and needed treatment, they had to go to Muong Xen, and the road was so difficult that it took a whole day to get there. The soldiers provided the villagers with buffalo and cattle for breeding, helped 24 poor households in Phu Kha 2 village build sturdy houses, and helped them with ginger and galangal seeds to develop their economy. In 2021, the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade also helped the village build a spacious and beautiful cultural center.

Medical personnel from the 4th Economic and National Defense Corps provided free medical examinations and treatment to residents of Na Ngoi and Nam Can communes. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Colonel Chu Huy Luong, Political Commissar of the 4th Economic and National Defense Brigade, stated that the brigade's area of ​​responsibility spans 75 villages across 8 communes in the two districts of Ky Son and Que Phong. Officers and soldiers simultaneously carry out political duties, provide free medical examinations and treatment, and cooperate with local authorities to help people develop their economy and alleviate poverty. Last year, the infirmary examined and treated 1,921 patients, including 262 inpatients, 140 referrals, and successfully treated 20 patients in the villages; provided health care advice to 3,000 people, and distributed free medicine to over 5,000 people.

"Besides providing medical care at the clinic, doctors and medical staff also travel to remote villages to provide free medical examinations, consultations, and medication to the people. They also combine this with educating and encouraging the villagers to adopt a civilized lifestyle, eliminate outdated customs, and access positive information about culture, life, and legal policies to improve their understanding and better serve their lives," Colonel Chu Huy Luong shared.