Young doctor Doan Kim Thach: A silent 'sharing journey' in the highlands to fight HIV/AIDS

SKĐS – Amidst the silent hardships of HIV/AIDS prevention and control in the highlands, young doctor Doan Kim Thach still persistently accompanies patients, helping them overcome their complexes and regain their faith.

Amidst the silent hardships of HIV/AIDS prevention and control in a northern mountainous province of the country, there is a young doctor who is still persistently dedicating his intelligence and enthusiasm to protecting the health of the community, especially those infected with HIV/AIDS. He has helped them overcome their inferiority complex and be steadfast in treatment. That is young doctor Doan Kim Thach, Deputy Head of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Department, Center for Disease Control of Tuyen Quang province.

He was born and raised in Ha Giang (old) which is now Tuyen Quang province. After finishing high school in 2008, he was admitted to Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Graduating from Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 2014, he worked at the Ha Giang HIV/AIDS Prevention Center (now Tuyen Quang province). Having been involved in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and control since then, he clearly understands the hardships of the profession, a quiet job that few people know about, but requires a lot of patience, responsibility and compassion.

In the first years of working, he and his colleagues traveled to highland and border communes to communicate about HIV/AIDS prevention and control. At that time, the only means of transport was a dilapidated motorbike fully loaded with projectors, backdrops, electric wires, microphones, portable speakers, leaflets, flipcharts, folding pictures... and even personal belongings. In some places, there was no electricity, so he and his colleagues had to use battery-powered speakers to communicate. There were communication sessions that only a few dozen people listened to, but he and his colleagues always enthusiastically guided and advised each person.

He said: "There were days when it rained heavily and the road was slippery. We had to add chains to the tires to keep going. Sometimes we had to walk for a kilometer. Sometimes we had to ask people to pull us to get to the media location."

Dr. Thach (red shirt) at a media session in Bien Gioi commune. Photo: Tuyen Quang Provincial CDC.

Or during long media campaigns, he and his colleagues had to sleep in makeshift classrooms. Those were the nights facing the bitter cold of the rocky highlands, when drizzle came, the temperature was only ^30C , the wind was cold enough to pierce the bones. Until now, he still feels the shivering cold of that time. Those harsh challenges have trained them with a resilient "Steel" spirit, helping him not only get closer to the people but also deeply understand the lives and difficulties of the people here.

After the talks, he and his colleagues conducted free HIV/AIDS blood testing consultations for the people. He confided: "Many people in remote areas have never been to the doctor, they are very hesitant and scared when they hear about HIV. But thanks to our perseverance, helping them understand the disease better, the psychological distance has been eliminated. People began to listen, trust and open up more. "This is the biggest success that the communication sessions bring.

A memory deeply engraved in his mind was the visit and gift-giving to children infected with HIV/AIDS on the occasion of International Children's Day, June 1, 2017. In a commune in Bac Quang district, the working group visited a family where both father and child were infected with HIV/AIDS. That image was unforgettable for him. The dilapidated house, the skinny, sickly father, the hard-working mother, contrasted with the innocence and bright, clear eyes of the child. He felt extremely sympathetic and worried about their poverty and illness. He said: "In that look, there was something he wanted to say, but the child could not say it. That image haunted me forever, I still remember it clearly."

When talking about Dr. Doan Kim Thach, Dr. Phung Van Thien, Head of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Department, said: “Comrade Thach is someone who always strives to learn to improve his professional qualifications and promptly updates the latest knowledge about HIV/AIDS. He is not only willing to support his colleagues but also volunteers to take the lead in disease prevention activities. More importantly, he is always dedicated to listening, sharing and supporting patients throughout the treatment process.”

Mr. HVM, in Ha Giang 2 Ward, is one of the patients who received advice from Dr. Thach. He shared: "When I first started treatment, I was very depressed, everything seemed to have completely collapsed. But after listening to Dr. Thach's propaganda, I was bold enough to meet and receive direct advice from the doctor. That conversation helped me gain more strength and motivation to continue living a meaningful and better life, so that people would no longer have prejudices about me and the disease I was carrying."

Dr. Thach advises an addict on Methadone treatment. Photo: Tuyen Quang Provincial CDC.

Not only being involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, Dr. Thach was also transferred to treat patients addicted to opioids with Methadone. That was the time when he faced many harsh challenges: "There were patients with tattoos all over their bodies, veins so difficult to find that we had to feel every little bit to get blood. There were times when patients shouted, argued, even fought right in the treatment room, we had to invite the police to intervene. But then I understood, they were just people struggling, trying to overcome an extremely difficult period of their lives," Dr. Thach said.

In addition to his professional work, Dr. Doan Kim Thach is also an active youth union officer, Secretary of the Youth Union of the Department of Health , Member of the Provincial Youth Union Committee, Member of the Young Doctors Association of Tuyen Quang Province. He actively participates in medical examination programs, free medicine distribution, and voluntary blood donation, contributing to spreading the spirit of "young doctors for community health".

For nearly 11 years of working, Dr. Doan Kim Thach has been awarded the title of Emulation Fighter at the grassroots level for many consecutive years, receiving Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, the Vietnam Youth Union, and the Vietnam Young Physicians Association. But for him, the greatest reward is still the trust and smiles of patients, who used to be afraid and self-conscious, but have now boldly lived positively and integrated into the community.

That young doctor still works hard every day, quietly contributing his part to the journey to push back HIV/AIDS, spreading love to the disadvantaged, as his colleagues affectionately call him: "Doctor of sharing journeys".

News you may be interested in:

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/bac-si-tre-doan-kim-thach-hanh-trinh-se-chia-tham-lang-noi-vung-cao-chong-hiv-aids-169251120071134757.htm