Taking care of patients throughout the Lunar New Year holiday earns double the normal daily wage.

Instead of returning to Ben Tre for Tet (Lunar New Year), Khanh, 40, stayed in Ho Chi Minh City to care for patients, earning nearly one million dong per day, double his usual income.

At midnight, the 90-year-old man needed to urinate. Khanh woke up, helped him to the bathroom, and then brought him back to bed. Three months earlier, his company had arranged for him to go to the hospital to care for the old man, who was in a coma due to multiple underlying conditions such as heart rhythm disorders and epilepsy. The patient was discharged after three weeks, and the family asked Khanh to continue caring for him at his private residence in District 3. The old man lives with his daughter's family; his other two children live abroad.

"I earned nearly ten million dong during the 10 days of Tet, so I have no intention of going back to my hometown. Besides, I've grown fond of staying here, and my father-in-law doesn't want to change caregivers while his daughter is away celebrating Tet with her husband's family," Khánh said.

He used to work as a kitchen assistant at a large hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, earning around 8-9 million VND. After deducting rent and expenses for food and transportation, the man couldn't save much. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he lost his job and returned to his hometown. Someone advised him to take a job caring for the sick because "the income is high, and there are no living expenses because if you care for someone in the hospital, you get free meals; if you care for someone in their private home, you eat with their family." Moreover, this job offers flexible hours, and the company can arrange for someone to replace him when he has family matters to attend to.

Initially, the elderly man, weighing nearly 70 kg, was bedridden, so Khanh had to constantly turn him over, change diapers, clean him, feed him milk, and spoon-feed him. Now, he is gradually recovering and can take care of his personal hygiene and eat on his own. Khanh mainly assists him, making sure he doesn't fall while alone.

Having worked as a caregiver for about a year, this is the first time he's stayed with patients throughout the Lunar New Year holiday. Seeing everyone else returning home to reunite with their families, he "felt a little sad," but thinking about his young children, he had to try his best to work and earn money.

"Going back to my hometown for Tet is mostly about eating and drinking," he said, adding that he often calls to encourage his wife to make sure the children have a proper Tet celebration.

This was also my first time spending the Lunar New Year holiday with patients. Ms. Thu, 30 years old, is currently at Nguyen Trai Hospital with an 80-year-old woman. The elderly woman had a limb amputated 10 days ago due to complications from diabetes and is bedridden. Doctors plan to discharge her before Tet (Lunar New Year) as her condition has improved. Her family has asked Ms. Thu to accompany her home to care for her.

"My parents came from the North to Ho Chi Minh City to help me take care of my nearly 3-year-old child, who will start school next year. The whole family will be here for Tet, so I feel confident registering to work," said Thu.

Previously, she worked as a waitress in a restaurant, earning a few million dong per month. After seven months of caring for her father-in-law, who had cancer, until his death, and with numerous hospitalizations, she learned about this profession and switched to it because the work was regular and the income was stable.

Before starting the job, she received training in the necessary skills. During the time her father-in-law was ill, he was irritable and often spoke harshly to his children and grandchildren, so "now, no matter how difficult a patient is, I feel empathy and treat them like family to provide the best care," the woman shared.

Towards the end of the year, social media groups are buzzing with activity as people search for caregivers. After posts about patients' conditions and addresses are shared, many people comment, expressing their willingness to take on the job. Many caregivers also proactively introduce themselves and leave contact information so that those in need can get in touch.

Mr. Tuan Hung, residing in District 10, said that his father has suffered a stroke three years ago, and almost all of his daily activities depend on his family. Therefore, every Tet holiday, he has to rely on a hired caregiver service to take his wife and children to her parents' home. "Without this service, my family would have difficulty managing when we need to go somewhere," Mr. Hung said.

There are currently no statistics on the number of people who stay at home or in hospitals throughout the Tet holiday to care for patients, but representatives from several hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City say that this service has increased in recent years.

Many people choose to care for the sick during Tet (Lunar New Year) for double the usual daily wage. Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tam, general director of a company specializing in providing healthcare caregivers, said that about 60% of his staff registered to stay and care for patients during Tet (Lunar New Year), earning double the usual daily rate. The company's normal care rate ranges from 500,000-600,000 VND to around 900,000 VND, depending on the patient's condition. Therefore, the daily wage for a home caregiver during Tet can range from one to two million VND, from the 25th of the lunar month to the 5th day of the new year.

Many staff members are caring for patients at home, having signed contracts with their families, so they remain on duty during Tet and cannot return to their hometowns. In some cases, the company will arrange for staff to be called when inpatients in hospitals need care. "During Tet, most patients are discharged from the hospital and return home, mainly only needing care in intensive care and emergency departments," Mr. Tam said, adding that the company arranges compensatory leave and provides transportation assistance for those who wish to return home after Tet.

According to Master's degree holder Le Minh Hien, Head of the Social Work Department at Cho Ray Hospital, hired caregivers are also considered relatives of patients and are registered for fingerprint scanning for management purposes. During the Tet holiday, the hospital continues to provide free meals twice a day for caregivers who need them.

Khanh plans to ask the company to arrange a replacement after the 10th day of the Lunar New Year so he can go home to visit his family for a few days. He says he intends to stay in this job, which was previously mainly chosen by women, because he finds it meaningful and contributes to helping many patients recover, "in an era where most people have few children and not much time to care for their parents."

Khánh and the 90-year-old man's Lunar New Year celebration became even warmer because they considered each other like family.

Le Phuong

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