From early morning, the grounds of Bach Mai Hospital – usually filled with the hurried footsteps of doctors and nurses – were different today. The hospital's auditorium served as a mobile polling station (part of polling station number 24 in Kim Lien ward, Hanoi ). At this polling station, not only patients and their families but also doctors and nurses were exercising their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Luu, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, encouraged and visited patients who cast their votes. Photo: Provided by the hospital.
Witnessing these "special voters" in patient gowns, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Luu, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, shared: "I am deeply moved to see patients and their relatives, despite battling illness, actively participating in exercising their civic rights right in the hospital."
Patients line up to cast their votes at Bach Mai Hospital. Photo: Hospital provided.
A critically ill patient being treated at Bach Mai Hospital is assisted by medical staff to cast their vote in person. Photo: Hospital provided.
Many patients receiving treatment at Bach Mai Hospital expressed pride in holding their ballots. Mr. Pham Manh Chuan ( from Hung Yen ), a disabled veteran, a victim of Agent Orange, and currently being treated for cardiovascular disease, expressed his happiness at being able to exercise his rights and civic duties. "Even though I am ill and hospitalized, the government and the hospital still care for me and create conditions for me to fully exercise my rights and civic duties," Mr. Pham Manh Chuan shared.
Severely ill patients receiving treatment at Viet Duc Hospital cast their votes right from their hospital beds.
Patient Nguyen Van Tuyen (43 years old, from Son La) suffered a collapsed right lung and a ruptured subcostal artery, making him dependent on a wheelchair for all daily activities. This morning, instead of waiting for an IV drip, he was helped by nurses to be wheeled down to the polling station. Holding his ballot in his hand, Mr. Tuyen said tearfully, “In the midst of pain, I thought I couldn’t go vote in person, but the doctors and nurses took care of me, encouraged me, and helped me vote. I feel I haven’t been forgotten. With this ballot, I’m sending my hope for better healthcare policies for people in the highlands.”
Patients and their families cast their votes right at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. Photo: Hospital provided.
Not far away, at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, a leading surgical facility with a large number of critically ill patients, the atmosphere was particularly special. Due to the fact that many patients could not leave their hospital beds, the Hoan Kiem Ward Election Committee coordinated with the hospital to bring mobile ballot boxes to each ward and department. Patient Bui Trong Vinh (68 years old, from Ha Tinh province), who had been hospitalized for a week due to a work accident, was exercising his civic right in the capital for the first time. He said emotionally, “This is my first time in Hanoi, and it's for emergency treatment, and then I get to vote right from my hospital bed. This feeling is hard to describe; I feel both warmhearted and a greater sense of responsibility.”
Many voters expressed that being given the opportunity to vote despite their illnesses and ailments was a great source of encouragement and motivation for those who are sick.
MINH KHANG
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhung-la-phieu-den-tu-giuong-benh-post842987.html
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