From the letter of the daughter of a martyr in the Gac Ma island naval battle

(Baonghean) - In recent days, public opinion has been interested in the event that Phan Thi Trang (Hamlet 2, Dien Nguyen, Dien Chau), the daughter of martyr Phan Huy Son - one of the 64 martyrs who died on Gac Ma Island (1988), was given special treatment by the Minister of Health, who issued an official dispatch directing the Nghe An Department of Health to consider and arrange work. Nghe An Newspaper reporters visited Phan Thi Trang's family and met with relevant units to find out...

Mr. Bui Dinh Long, Director of Nghe An Department of Health, presented gifts to the family of Martyr Phan Huy Son.

A surprise from a letter…

Phan Thi Trang's family's house is hidden behind a small alley, in the peaceful countryside of Dien Nguyen commune. When we arrived, the family was busy preparing for the 27th death anniversary of martyr Phan Huy Son. The house is spacious and cozy in the village and neighborhood spirit (the house was built with the support and gratitude of units in the armed forces, local authorities at all levels and kind-hearted people). For Nghe An Newspaper reporters, this is not the first time they have visited Trang's family. On June 11, 2014, in a series of activities "towards the homeland's sea and islands", Nghe An Newspaper's Trade Union launched a campaign for cadres, reporters and staff in the editorial office to support the families and relatives of the martyrs who died in the Gac Ma naval battle and Phan Thi Trang's family was one of four families that the delegation visited and encouraged with a sum of over 4 million VND...

Letter from Trang to the Minister of Health

Reply letter from Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien

Knowing that we came to visit and learn about the recruitment of Phan Thi Trang to work in the health sector, she could not hide her joy: "In the past few days, everyone has been asking about this. Honestly, I was surprised myself. At first, I did not believe it was true. I did not think that after a few spontaneous letters written and sent online, the Minister would reply and give me a job opportunity."

And then, the dreamlike story about the journey from a letter in the virtual world was told by Phan Thi Trang with nostalgia and emotion: “I remember, that day was March 10, 2015, only a few days left until the anniversary of the Gac Ma naval battle. I thought of my father, thought of my family situation, and then suddenly sat down to write a few lines of my feelings and sent them to the Facebook inbox of the Minister of Health”. The letter was sent spontaneously with emotions, with lines sharing about myself and my family situation. The letter reads: “When I was born, my father was no longer around. He passed away on March 14, 1988. I was born on October 27, 1988. My mother was widowed when she was just 25 years old. My older brother, Phan Huy Ha, born in 1984, has a congenital disability. He cannot speak, cannot feed himself, and cannot take care of his personal hygiene... My mother, due to hard work and overwork, has one kidney atrophied, and the other kidney has stones. She has uterine fibroids, stomach ulcers, and duodenal ulcers. She often has to go to Dien Chau Hospital for examination and treatment...”.

At the same time, Trang shared her wishes in her messages: “My father used to be a medical officer of the Navy, he died early, my brother is disabled, my mother is often sick, so I studied medicine to help and find a doctor to cure my mother and brother. My dream is to become a doctor, but because of my family's circumstances, I don't have money and time to study, so I only passed the nursing college exam, because I was 2 points short of the medical university entrance exam... Through the Minister's Facebook page, I would like to ask you to help me and my family."

Phan Thi Trang with her mother and brother in front of the house of gratitude

Ministry of Health Official Dispatch

Received Trang to work at Nghe An General Hospital on March 6, 2015.

The letter also said: “Now that I have graduated from nursing college but have not found a job, the difficulties are even heavier on my mother’s shoulders. I have applied to many places but have not been accepted because they have sent their children there. I am very sad. My mother tried to borrow money to get me a job but was unsuccessful… While the Party and the State say they care about the families of martyrs on Gac Ma island, my family has not received any attention.”

The letter was sent, and Trang said she quickly forgot about her impulsive action, because she did not think that those small confidences could be responded to by a busy industry leader. Two days later, Trang's Facebook inbox lit up, and joy exploded. That was the "indicator light" of a reply message from the Minister of Health. The Minister "told" her: "take a photo of the documents to verify the family's policy situation, I did as she said and then saw on the Minister's Facebook homepage that her letter was publicly posted, along with the Minister's sharing about her situation and a photo of the official dispatch sent to the Nghe An Department of Health regarding special arrangements and job assignment for her". Trang said that in the following days, meetings, phone calls, and congratulations were sent continuously. In particular, just one day after the Minister of Health publicly responded on social networks, on the afternoon of March 15, the Nghe An Provincial Department of Health contacted her and her family to confirm the official dispatch from the Ministry of Health, notify the process, procedures, and instruct Trang to supplement her documents to complete the admission to work at Dien Chau General Hospital.

Delegation of Nghe An Department of Health visited relatives of martyr Phan Huy Son

Mr. Bui Dinh Long - Director of Nghe An Department of Health talks with Phan Thi Trang

Wish come true

Also on the afternoon of March 17, while we were at Trang's family, the working group of the Department of Health went directly to Trang's family and announced the information about accepting her to work at Dien Chau District General Hospital. The working group was led by Mr. Bui Dinh Long - Director of the Department of Health, accompanied by Mr. Le Nam Giang - Head of the Department of Organization and Personnel of the Department of Health and Mr. Tran Khac Tien - Director of Dien Chau General Hospital. The atmosphere of the small house was bustling with joy and warm sharing. On behalf of the working group, Mr. Bui Dinh Long said that after receiving the official dispatch of Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee issued an official dispatch directing the Department of Health to consider arranging a job in the right field of training for Phan Thi Trang as soon as possible.

Based on research and reasonable consideration, the Department of Health decided to accept Trang as a nurse at Dien Chau District General Hospital. Mr. Bui Dinh Long shared that arranging her to work locally shows the understanding and sympathy of the provincial and sector leaders for the circumstances of families with preferential policies, limited resources, and difficulties, demonstrating the spirit of "remembering the source of water when drinking water", showing gratitude to those who have contributed to the country. In particular, to recruit Phan Thi Trang to work, the Department of Health has reduced 1 general practitioner quota (the initial quota was 5, later reduced to 4) to receive 1 additional nursing quota.

Mr. Bui Dinh Long added that before the Minister's dispatch, the Department of Health had also received Phan Thi Trang's application. Because before that, Trang and her grandfather, Mr. Tran Ngoc Thanh (78 years old), had directly submitted the application to the Department. After reviewing, the Department's leaders had clearly understood the family's circumstances, knowing that she was the daughter of martyr Phan Huy Son, who died on Gac Ma Island in 1988, so they paid attention, considered the priority factor and were in the process of researching to arrange and assign work in a reasonable and correct manner. It is known that after completing the procedures and reception processes, around the beginning of next week, Trang will officially start working at Dien Chau District General Hospital.

(To be continued)

Article and photos:PV Group