Priceless gifts

This is a scene of preparations for the monthly "Pink Birthday" celebration organized by Children's Hospital 1 for its inpatients.

SHARING SUPPORT DURING ILLNESS

The event hadn't started yet, but parents and young patients had already arrived in large numbers, filling the auditorium and creating a lively atmosphere. Many children still had IV lines attached to their arms.

At the opening ceremony, the staff from the Social Work Department led the games; followed by birthday songs, songs expressing feelings of sharing and love… sung spontaneously by the young patients themselves. The choir of young patients radiated joy, evident on the lips and faces of each child, as if they had never been sick.

Doctor Truong Huu Khanh presents birthday gifts to young patients.

After singing, the children received birthday wishes from Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, Head of the Social Work Department. Then, the young patients prayed together, blew out the candles, cut the cake, and enjoyed it on the spot. Next, they received gifts such as milk, toys like dolls, building blocks, and comic books.

Ten-year-old Nguyen Thanh Dat, a resident of Kien Giang province, who is currently receiving inpatient treatment at the Gastroenterology Department, arrived at the hall alone without his mother. Dat said: "I've only been at the hospital for three days, but when the nurses were making a list of patients with April birthdays, my mother registered (Dat was born on April 30th). Because I was so eager to attend the birthday celebration at the hospital, I asked for directions to the hall. This is the first time I've celebrated my birthday in the hospital, and I'm so excited to receive gifts." Many other young patients shared similar feelings to Dat…

Attending the birthday celebration, Ms. Hoa and her son, Nguyen Quang Khai (7 years old, residing in Binh Duong ), embraced the gifts they had given to the young patients with immeasurable happiness. Ms. Hoa emotionally shared: "Khai used to be at the hospital, so I deeply empathize with the young patients. April is also Khai's birthday. I talked to my son about not having a birthday party, and instead saving the money to celebrate the birthdays of the children at Children's Hospital 1, and he agreed. With the cooperation and approval of the Social Work Department of Children's Hospital 1, my son and I came here to celebrate the birthdays of these little ones."

Dr. Truong Huu Khanh said: "The hospital organizes monthly 'Pink Birthday' events with the hope that inpatient children will have fun, recover quickly, and return home. It's also to alleviate parents' worries about their children going to the hospital without a birthday celebration, fearing their children might feel left out. These events are not only for inpatients but also for outpatients with chronic illnesses."

The pink birthday celebration ended, but many young patients lingered, as if wanting to hold onto the joy of this place forever…

The young patient was cheerful on her pink birthday.

JOIN HANDS FOR THE PATIENTS' DREAMS

"When someone asks you about your dreams, most of us will talk about big things, future ambitions. But for a poor, sick girl like TTMA (10 years old, residing in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), her only dream is to recover soon so she can go home with her siblings," Chu Van Thanh, Deputy Head of the Social Work Department at Children's Hospital 1, told Thanh Nien newspaper about the dream of patient MA, who was admitted to the hospital in April 2019.

Patient MA was born into a poor family with five sisters. The entire family's livelihood depended on the parents' scrap metal collecting. MA suffered from a persistent cough and shortness of breath, and was admitted to the Cardiology Department of Children's Hospital 1, where she was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect requiring surgery.

Recognizing the truly difficult circumstances of patient MA's family, the Social Work Department connected and introduced them to benefactors. As a result, the child received 52 million VND in support. "The surgery was successful, the child's health is stable, and her dream of being healthy and going home has come true. MA was discharged from the hospital on April 24, 2019," Mr. Thanh recalled.

SURGERY COSTS OVER 272 MILLION VND, CHILD PATIENTS ONLY PAY 500,000 VND.

The image and family circumstances of a 14-year-old patient from Kien Giang province, admitted to Children's Hospital 1 with only 500,000 VND in their possession, have evoked much sympathy.

The young patients sang together at a pink birthday party.

NT was taken to Children's Hospital 1 for examination due to frequent sudden fainting spells and fatigue, causing her to miss school often. At the hospital, NT was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome, a heart rhythm disorder, and required hospitalization. Dr. Nguyen Tri Hao, Deputy Head of the Cardiology Department at Children's Hospital 1, said that Brugada syndrome is very dangerous, can cause sudden cardiac arrest, and requires the implantation of a defibrillator to support the heart, costing over 200 million VND, not including treatment costs.

Meanwhile, NT's family's economic situation is very precarious. NT's mother, NTO, also suffers from heart disease and recently underwent a cardiac catheterization procedure at Cho Ray Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City), while her father works as a construction worker with an unstable job and low income.

"After investigating and recognizing the difficult circumstances of the child's family, and realizing the child needed support to survive and return to daily life, the Social Work Department connected with benefactors. On September 27, 2019, the surgery to implant a pacemaker for child NT was successfully performed, and she was discharged 10 days later, much to the joy of her entire family," Mr. Chu Van Thanh recounted.

Children's Hospital 1 is a Grade 1 hospital under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, responsible for the examination and treatment of children in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces, and overseeing the referral system for many provinces. The hospital's strengths lie in the treatment of neonatal diseases, advanced surgery, emergency resuscitation, and infectious diseases.

The hospital operates with a community-oriented approach, implementing effective international cooperation programs, strongly developing specialized departments, effectively socializing the care for poor pediatric patients, and maintaining healthcare equity within the hospital.

In addition, the hospital actively supports the frontline pediatric network. Currently, the hospital sees over 4,000 outpatient cases and approximately 1,200 inpatient cases daily.

According to Mr. Thanh, after deducting health insurance, the treatment costs that the family of patient NT had to pay amounted to over 272.1 million VND. This included 265 million VND for the purchase of the machine and over 7.1 million VND for treatment costs. However, the family could only pay a symbolic 500,000 VND. The remaining amount was covered by donations from 10 organizations and individuals.

In another case, before the Lunar New Year in 2023, patient NQB (12 years old, residing in Kien Giang) was admitted to Children's Hospital 1 with acute myocarditis. The patient came from a tragic family situation; her parents were divorced. At only 12 years old, she had to drop out of school to work. To save the patient, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was necessary, but the cost was very high, and she did not have health insurance.

The Social Work Department intervened to resolve the financial issue for child patient NQB. After one month of treatment, the child recovered and was discharged from the hospital, but the total cost amounted to 474 million VND. However, the child's family only paid 61 million VND, while the Social Work Department sought direct support from benefactors (281 million VND) for the remaining amount, and the Social Work Department itself disbursed over 132 million VND from its own funds.

"We raise billions of dong each year to help sick children. All income and expenses must be fully documented with invoices and receipts; these may seem like small things, but they are essential. Because social work must also be transparently audited to build trust with donors to help sick children and also to help the hospital itself," shared Dr. Truong Huu Khanh.

(to be continued)

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/benh-vien-nhan-ai-nhung-mon-qua-vo-gia-18523050523145193.htm