Shining medical ethics of Nghe An doctors - Part 1: Medical ethics comes from the heart of the doctor
Imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings: "Cadres must love and care for the sick like their own brothers and sisters, seeing their pain as their own"; "a good doctor is like a mother"... Nghe An doctors are willing to spend their own money, effort and even their lives to support and help the sick.
Lesson 1:
Medical ethics comes from the heart of the physician.
Imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings: "Cadres must love and care for the sick as their brothers and sisters, seeing their pain as their own"; "A good doctor is like a mother"... Nghe An doctors are willing to spend their own money, effort and even their lives to support and help the sick.
Spend money and effort to make a "zero-dollar" car
For a long time, nurse Nguyen Van Lam - Head of Thanh Duc Commune Health Station (Thanh Chuong) has been affectionately called by the people of his district as "Medical officer carrying a prison". This name comes from the fact that for more than 10 years, Mr. Lam has bought his own car to transport patients to higher-level emergency and treatment facilities without taking any fees. Regardless of day or night, rain or shine, when patients need it, his free "0 dong" car is on the road.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lam said: “Before becoming the Head of Thanh Duc Commune Health Station, I had worked as a nurse for 30 years at Thanh Nho Commune Health Station. At the station, I witnessed many critical cases that needed to be transferred to higher levels for emergency care and immediate treatment. However, in these critical times, the health station and the patient's family had difficulty finding transport vehicles. There were patients who, because they could not be transported in time, became worse...”.
He still remembers a case where a pregnant woman went into labor immediately upon arriving at the commune health station. The fetus was born, but the placenta could not come out. The pregnant woman continued to bleed. Realizing the critical situation, the pregnant woman needed to be transferred to a higher level for treatment. However, for many reasons, it took a long time for the ambulance to get in and take the pregnant woman to the district general hospital. Fortunately, the pregnant woman was saved.
Such stories made Mr. Nguyen Van Lam think and worry a lot. Until one day 11 years ago, there was an incident that made him decide to establish a "zero-dong" bus. The thing is, a pregnant woman in labor came to the station. This pregnant woman was old and expected to give birth early. In conditions that could not ensure absolute safety for this birth, the commune health station "called for help" everywhere to find a transport bus but failed. In a "life-threatening" situation, Mr. Lam quickly took his "broken" car to take the pregnant woman to the hospital.
With many years of experience as a nurse at the primary level, Mr. Nguyen Van Lam had prepared plastic bags and delivery tools, ready for a birth right in the car. The first time he drove a woman about to give birth, Mr. Lam was also very nervous, wanting to go fast but also having to be careful not to bump around. While driving, he kept encouraging her, "Keep trying, we're only a few minutes away from the hospital." However, when she was only a few hundred meters from the district hospital, the woman gave birth. Mr. Lam immediately stopped the car to deliver the baby, then took the patient to the hospital for timely emergency care.
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After this unexpected trip, Mr. Lam came up with the idea of establishing a "zero-dong" bus to help poor patients here. "I just thought that this bus would solve the shortage of patient transport vehicles in the area, as well as help poor patients. If I can help people, I will try my best," Mr. Lam shared.
Thinking is doing, Mr. Nguyen Van Lam sold all his pigs and borrowed more from his brothers to buy a new car to serve both commuting and transporting patients. This new car ensures two criteria: allowing patients to lie comfortably and ensuring safety during transportation. When there are poor patients, difficult circumstances, and critical situations, Mr. Lam transports them to higher-level medical facilities without charging any fees.
Mr. Lam's "zero-dong" bus was born and promptly transported many critically ill patients such as those in traffic accidents; patients in difficult circumstances such as those in dialysis, children with cleft palates; people donating blood... to medical facilities in time. During more than 10 years working at Thanh Nho Commune Health Station, and now moving to Thanh Duc Commune Health Station, Mr. Lam does not remember how many "zero-dong" bus trips he has made to support patients. He only knows that each charitable bus trip gives him more strength to continue "practicing his profession with impartiality and friendliness" (Hippocratic Oath).
Donate "life source" to save patients
In the Nghe An health sector, it is not uncommon for health workers to use their personal assets to help patients in difficult circumstances. In addition to material support, thousands of other health workers often donate their “lifeblood” to save patients. Doctor Nguyen Thanh Hung - Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union, Deputy Head of the Blood Club of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital is a typical example. Over the past 14 years, Doctor Hung has voluntarily donated blood and platelets 40 times.
Doctor Nguyen Thanh Hung confided: “Blood is a priceless source of life; it is a special medicine that can only be obtained from the donation of each of us. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people, for various health reasons, are in dire need of blood to treat illnesses and sustain life. Blood and blood products are indispensable in medical activities, in emergency and treatment. Patients are always waiting for blood. As people who are honored by society as a good doctor like a mother, more than anyone else, medical staff need to be proactive, voluntarily donate blood; participate with the highest spirit, join hands to share with the community”.
With that in mind, since his first year at Hanoi Medical University, Nguyen Thanh Hung has actively volunteered to donate his blood to help save patients. Whenever his blood quality meets the criteria (12 weeks after each blood donation), he goes to the Hematology Center to “donate his life source”. Hung said: “To be able to donate blood, I always consciously train my health so that my blood has the best quality. If the blood quality is not up to standard, the recipient will not be able to receive my blood, which is really a pity.”
After graduating from university, Dr. Hung went to work at the Obstetrics Department, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Here, he felt more clearly the losses, as well as the miraculous revivals. He himself had to face many cases of births with complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, uterine rupture after birth. At these times, timely blood transfusion is a prerequisite to save the mother's life. Or babies with congenital hemolytic disease need lifelong blood transfusions to survive. At these times, he realized that there needed to be more cooperation from the whole community to increase the blood reserve to save people in time. Dr. Hung actively mobilized relatives, friends, and colleagues to participate.
Recognizing Dr. Hung's dedication and volunteer spirit for the community, the Board of Directors of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital entrusted him with the task of Deputy Director of the hospital's Live Blood Bank. With the new task, Dr. Hung has actively "set an example" and increased the mobilization of people to donate blood. Dr. Hung's influence has helped the hospital's Live Blood Bank develop day by day. When he first took on the task, the bank only had 729 units of blood on standby. After a period of time, Dr. Hung joined, the bank had 1,150 units of blood, always ready to supplement for patients. It is known that since the Live Blood Bank Club at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital was put into operation, 10 patients with emergency anemia have received live blood from club members.
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A typical case is the case of a pregnant woman in Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province, who was 36 weeks pregnant when her membranes ruptured prematurely and was admitted to the hospital on August 24, 2024. This pregnant woman had idiopathic thrombocytopenia. If she underwent surgery to deliver the baby, she would be at high risk of blood loss, endangering the lives of both mother and child. At this time, Dr. Hung called on members of the live blood bank with suitable blood indexes to register to donate platelets. Immediately, 154 medical staff with blood type A from the Live Blood Bank of the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital were ready to go to the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center to donate blood and platelets to save the pregnant woman. With the blood donation of medical staff, 3 units of platelets with blood type A were transferred to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in time to help the pregnant woman enter the cesarean section at 3:00 p.m. At 3:20 p.m., the baby boy weighing 2.8 kg cried out at birth. The fresh, pink drops of blood imbued with the love of medical staff helped to ensure the safety of both mother and child.
Doctor Nguyen Thanh Hung added: “My 40 blood donations are not many. In my hospital, there are medical staff like the director and his wife who participate in every blood donation. They quietly perform their sacred duty, a noble act without needing any statistics or honors...”./.
