The story of a doctor exposed to HIV three times but still stays on the front line in Thai Nguyen

SKĐS - For more than 20 years on the HIV/AIDS front, Dr. Ninh Thi Nam (Phu Luong Medical Center, Thai Nguyen) has been exposed to the virus 3 times and has had to search for patients who have abandoned treatment countless times. Overcoming her fear, she has become a source of support for thousands of lives.

We met Dr. Ninh Thi Nam (born in 1969) late one afternoon at Phu Luong Medical Center, Thai Nguyen province. As one of the first people to implement ARV treatment for HIV-infected patients here, her memories of the early days are still intact, both thorny and full of sympathy.

More than 20 years ago, while working at the Outpatient Department of Phu Luong Medical Center, Dr. Nam first encountered this disease and felt a deep compassion. Patients often came to her too late, in a state of "one life or one death". Many of them later confessed that, at that time, they thought they would not live long.

Doctor Ninh Thi Nam is one of the first people to implement ARV treatment for HIV patients at Phu Luong Medical Center.

Like many colleagues at that time, she admitted that the initial fear was real. But when standing in front of the patient, all fear seemed to disappear, the only thought remaining was how to save them. For her, that was her profession, her responsibility. The job at that time was even heavier than other diseases, because the patient was not only physically exhausted but also carried a heavy psychological burden due to alienation and discrimination from their own families. The medical team had to shoulder both roles: providing medical treatment and stabilizing the psychology of the patient and their relatives.

The silent "hunts"...

The biggest difficulty in the early stages was the situation of patients abandoning treatment. The psychological burden, combined with the old ARV regimen, was very difficult to comply with. Dr. Nam explained that in the past, patients had to take many pills, many times a day, not just one convenient pill like now. This made many people tired, frustrated and abandoned treatment.

That was when the responsibility of the doctor was pushed to the highest level. "At that time, there were no mobile phones like now" - Dr. Nam recalled. When the patient did not come, she and her colleagues had to find every way to approach. Those were silent "hunts" that required patience. They had to skillfully ask for help from the family, persuade the patient to come back, and above all, keep it absolutely secret so that the neighbors around did not know. "It was very difficult" - she concluded.

Dr. Nam finds many ways to approach HIV patients, encourage and accompany them throughout the treatment process.

3 exposures and the PrEP drug storekeeper

Compassion comes with constant risks. Dr. Nam admits that no health worker working with HIV is immune to exposure. She herself has been exposed at least three times, mostly from unknown sources, while working in obstetrics.

She recounted: "I used to work in the manufacturing industry, so I was hit many times. Blood splashed into my eyes, my gloves were punctured, and sharp objects stabbed my hands... Those times were very stressful."

Unlike some times when she only needs to monitor, there are times when the risk is high and she is required to take preventive medication (PrEP). With knowledge and safety procedures, she calmly treats the wound, takes medication and monitors. Her dedication is also shown in "guarding the PrEP medicine warehouse" for the entire center. Regardless of the middle of the night, whenever a colleague is unfortunately exposed and "calls", she goes out to get the medication for them. "The sooner the better," she says, because the preventive medication must ideally be taken within 72 hours.

"Sweet fruit" 99% K=K and babies born negative

The perseverance of the medical team at Phu Luong Medical Center has been rewarded. From a patient who was "alive and dead", the treatment results are now very proud. Ms. Nam is happy to see the patients gradually getting better, many people nearly 70 years old are still living healthy lives.

That achievement is proven by impressive numbers. In Phu Luong, the rate of patients achieving viral load below the inhibition threshold (K=K) reached 99% in some years. The message "Undetectable = Untransmittable" is the key to the revival. The most impressive are the stories of revival, when many couples with stable treatment want to have children.

Doctors at Phu Luong Medical Center have made efforts to help many HIV-infected couples give birth to healthy children.

The medical team faces another challenge: Counseling them to have children safely. The biggest challenge is when the wife is HIV positive but hides it from her husband, and the law does not allow doctors to disclose it. Ms. Nam explains that doctors can only encourage patients to share and cooperate with their husbands, such as not breastfeeding or using preventive medicine for the child.

The results were sweet: "Couples where only one partner was HIV-infected, the children were born completely negative, tested many times, proving the effectiveness of the treatment."

"Doctors still eat with HIV patients normally"

Today, the fight against HIV has entered a new phase with the goal of "95-95-95". The stigma has decreased, but the invisible fear remains. However, for Dr. Nam, that boundary has long been erased. She smiled and said that doctors themselves still eat with normal HIV patients. When their treatment is stable, they live like us, without any problems. It is a simple truth, but to achieve that peace is a long journey of compassion, perseverance and facing occupational risks.

Currently, as Head of the Planning and Operation Department at Phu Luong Medical Center, Dr. Nam continues to treat and accompany HIV patients. Silent doctors like Ms. Nam are the "heart" that keeps the beat of hope of thousands of HIV patients in Thai Nguyen never stopping.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/chuyen-nguoi-bac-si-3-lan-phoi-nhiem-hiv-van-bam-tru-tuyen-dau-o-thai-nguyen-169251119145659455.htm