Like the sunset

At an age when many choose to rest after years of hard work and career advancement, People's Physician, Doctor of Medicine Dao Thi Ngoc Lan, currently the Director of the Center for Science and Technology Development and Community Health Care, and Director of Viet Trang An Medical Development Joint Stock Company, continues to diligently contribute to the health care of the people and the community.

For her, it was about creating a fulfilling and meaningful life journey for a physician, whether in the "morning" or the "twilight" of life.

People's Physician, Doctor of Medicine Dao Thi Ngoc Lan (center) has been practicing medicine for 45 years now.
Committed to the medical field.

Graduating from Hanoi Medical University in 1980, Ms. Dao Thi Ngoc Lan soon chose to dedicate herself to provincial-level healthcare . For over 20 years, she worked at the former Yen Bai Provincial General Hospital, directly participating in examinations, treatments, and surgeries, accumulating professional experience under the challenging conditions of a mountainous province.

From 2004 to 2012, she was entrusted with the responsibility of Director of the Department of Health of Yen Bai province. In her managerial position, she maintained a cautious and practical working style, prioritizing the quality of healthcare for the people.

The doctor's journey of dedication to the medical profession was further challenged by her own serious illness. She battled cancer twice, in 2007 and 2019. For many, this might be a reason to stop, to slow down and withdraw into private life, but for her, illness was a test of her willpower and her choice to live.

Since 2008, after witnessing firsthand the hardships and disadvantages faced by Hmong children in a then-impoverished area of ​​the province, she harbored the intention of doing something good for the community. In 2009, she and some friends proposed the establishment of the Center for Science and Technology Development and Community Health Care (YENBAI CDSH), under the Yen Bai Provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations, with the mission of bringing science and technology closer to disadvantaged mountainous communities, improving their health and sustainable livelihoods.

Over the past 15 years, the Center for Science and Technology Development and Community Health Care has mobilized resources from numerous international organizations, implementing dozens of projects worth tens of billions of VND, focusing on practical areas such as: healthcare, climate change, development of medicinal plants, communication and education, protection of children's rights, and livelihood development for people in mountainous regions.

The center's activities have yielded practical results for the community, receiving recognition and high praise from local authorities, donors, and the people, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province.

She is also currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Union of Science and Technology Associations of the province, further affirming her role as a bridge between science and life.

In 2012, at the age of 55, she officially retired, thinking, "As a doctor, no matter how old you are, you're still a doctor; the older you get, the more experience you gain." She decided to continue her medical mission in a different role while her passion for the profession remained strong. Together with colleagues and friends, she founded Viet Trang An Medical Development Joint Stock Company (Viet Trang An Multi-Specialty Clinic).

Ms. Dao Thi Ngoc Lan, along with her colleagues and friends, established Viet Trang An Medical Development Joint Stock Company, sharing the burden with the public healthcare system.

This is a private medical facility established with the aim of continuing to provide medical care to the people and sharing the burden with the public healthcare system. Over the years, in addition to contributing to reducing the burden on the public healthcare system, the clinic has also created stable jobs for nearly 100 medical staff.

In particular, it is also a common home for many retired doctors who still want to continue practicing their profession, bringing their experience and passion to life without being limited by age.

Not only a manager and a doctor, Ms. Dao Thi Ngoc Lan is also a poet with an open mind, who has encapsulated her philosophy of life through verses full of contemplation and reflection. She lived as her poems, written from the depths of her sensitive soul and passionate heart, regardless of the stage of her life. In her youth, she once wrote:

"Even though we are small amidst the vastness of nature."

But it must be a flame that burns unquenchably.

Let each passing day leave a legacy for the world.

A touch of poetic sentiment, a touch of noble life sentiment."

In her twilight years, she wrote:

"The sunset, the last rays of the day."

Thin, light, gentle, yet not faded.

The sky, the river, and the sandy shore are still bright.

As if unwilling to fade into the night.

From the "unquenchable flame" of youth to the "last rays of sunlight" of life, People's Physician, Doctor of Medicine Dao Thi Ngoc Lan has always chosen to "shine" through enduring contributions, ensuring that each passing day is not dull, and that life, regardless of its stage, retains its value and meaning.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nhu-anh-hoang-hon-post889420.html