Examining people after the flood, a doctor in Ho Chi Minh City was choked up, 'his eyes turned red'

bác sĩ - Ảnh 1. — Medical staff carry a 90-year-old woman to examine her in Hoa Xuan commune, Dak Lak province - Photo: Provided by Doctor Tam

Soaking in flood water, many people are exhausted

For the first time participating in supporting people after the flood, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tam - Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City - could not help but choke up when witnessing many touching stories of the people.

Doctor Tam said that on the morning of November 26, a team of 15 doctors and nurses arrived at Hoa Xuan commune (formerly Phu Yen ), one of the communes heavily affected by the flood, to urgently examine and treat patients. To avoid people having to wait too long, the team quickly ate a cup of instant noodles each and then moved to the examination point.

"When the news of the doctors' arrival came, the people were very happy and came in large numbers. Many people with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. had all their medicine swept away by the floodwaters. Because the road to the local health station was cut off, they were completely unable to cope.

Almost everyone who came to see the doctor, from young to old, complained of headaches, dizziness, and insomnia. They were very sad and worried about the great losses after the flood.

In addition, many people also suffer from diseases such as skin infections, wound infections after many days of soaking in flood water, in addition to respiratory infections, skin diseases...

Women are especially susceptible to gynecological diseases; the elderly suffer from bone and joint pain, and their bodies are exhausted after days of fighting in a cold, humid environment," said Dr. Tam.

Dr. Tam recounted a case that he felt heartbroken about. On the morning of November 27, he examined an old man around 85 years old. He arrived in a state of near exhaustion, carried in by his nephew. When the floodwaters rose, he was taken to the roof and stuck there for 3-4 days, his clothes soaked, the cold wind blowing in constantly.

Can't sleep, can only eat with a few leftover packs of dry noodles because there is no clean water to mix.

Or like the case of a man who worked as a hired fish pond keeper. The flood came suddenly, he was stuck outside the fish farm, unable to run home, living all night in the rainy and windy weather.

Another case was hers, an old house with dozens of tons of rice submerged in floodwaters. When they were dried, they had sprouted and could not be saved. Some people came to the clinic still wearing wet clothes because they were still isolated in deep, low-lying areas. Some people had to wade through the water to the edge of the road to get a car to take them away.

"After examining any case that I have time to ask about, hearing the story makes my eyes red. It's very touching. Some people just need to find a warm, dry coat and cry with joy. Some cases are so heartbreaking, the doctors feel so sorry, they spend their own money to support some local people," Dr. Tam was moved.

Out of sincere sympathy, the members of the delegation also voluntarily contributed a total of 45 million VND to buy 200 portions of rice to give to especially disadvantaged households in the commune.

Not stopping there, the group also invited the locals to stay for lunch. The simple but warm meal became a memorable moment.

bác sĩ - Ảnh 2. — "It was so pitiful, many people wore wet clothes to go to the hospital, the group invited the people who went to the hospital to have lunch together" (a member of group 1 quickly texted to the leader of the Department of Health on November 26) - Photo: Provided by the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City

More than 3,500 people were examined.

Associate Professor Tang Chi Thuong - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health - said that at the request of the Dak Lak Department of Health, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector sent hundreds of doctors and nurses divided into 5 groups carrying medicine and medical equipment to support the locality.

By the evening of November 26, 5 working groups from hospitals assigned by the Department of Health had completed the mission of providing medical examination, treatment and health care to people in 5 communes severely affected by floods in Dak Lak province.

"The donation has affirmed the tradition of kindness, sense of responsibility and willingness to share of the Ho Chi Minh City health sector in taking care of people's health, especially in areas affected by natural disasters and difficulties," Mr. Thuong shared.

Statistics show that on November 26, a total of 3,551 people received health check-ups and care during the day.

Notably, in addition to the team leaders from general hospitals, each team also has the participation and coordination of leading specialized hospitals: obstetrics, pediatrics, dermatology, tropical diseases, dentistry, etc. to help expand the scope of expertise, meeting the diverse medical examination and treatment needs of people after the flood.

"The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health respectfully acknowledges and commends the spirit of initiative, dedication and smooth coordination of all hospitals participating in this support campaign. The hospitals have proactively prepared human resources, medicines, equipment and covered all implementation costs themselves," said Mr. Thuong.