Sharing with us, Mr. Sung Din, Head of the Cao Son Commune Health Station, said: Cao Son is a particularly difficult and remote commune in Lao Cai province, with a large area encompassing 33 villages and hamlets; its terrain is rugged and heavily fragmented. The entire commune currently has over 14,340 inhabitants belonging to 9 ethnic groups living together. The lives of the people are still very difficult, the level of education is uneven, and some backward customs still persist, posing many challenges to the work of caring for and protecting the health of the people. Therefore, the health station's medical staff always uphold a high sense of responsibility, proactively staying close to the villages and people, overcoming difficulties to effectively carry out the tasks of initial medical examination and treatment, disease prevention and control, and disseminating information to raise awareness of health care for the people.
Cao Son Commune Health Station takes care of the health of the elderly.
From the commune's health station, we accompanied Mr. Sung Din on a journey of over 13km along winding mountain roads to reach Muong Lum village to participate in a health awareness session for the local people. Born and raised in this very land, Mr. Din deeply understands the customs, traditions, and mindset of the ethnic communities here. Thanks to this understanding, the information he conveyed was relatable, easy to understand, and memorable, helping the people gradually change their inappropriate health care habits.
Mr. Sung Din, Head of the Cao Son Commune Health Station, conducts health check-ups for residents at their homes.
Besides excelling in his managerial role, Mr. Din also directly participates in medical examinations, treatment, and disease prevention, regularly visiting villages to monitor the health situation of the people. For him, working in healthcare in the highlands is not just a professional job, but also about accompanying, understanding, and sharing the everyday difficulties of the local people.
The Cao Son Commune Health Station currently has 21 medical staff, including 2 medical assistants who are undergoing advanced training to become doctors, thereby improving the quality of medical examination and treatment for the people. The station's facilities are also being gradually improved, with medical equipment now meeting over 80% of the minimum requirements, effectively serving professional work.
Raising awareness about healthcare for women in mountainous regions through educational programs.
Among her professional activities, the prevention and control of malnutrition in children stands out. Ms. Lu Thi Doan, a health worker in charge of nutrition at the Cao Son Commune Health Station, is one of those who silently and diligently monitors the growth charts of children in the area. Undeterred by difficulties, Ms. Doan and her colleagues regularly visit villages to educate and guide mothers on scientific child-rearing methods, selecting and preparing meals suitable to the available resources of each family. From emphasizing the role of breast milk and nutritious meals to preventing malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in children, she conveys all information in an easy-to-understand, approachable language, appropriate to the customs of each ethnic group. "To ensure children's health, it must start with the parents' awareness," Ms. Doan shared.
Ms. Doan guides local people on how to use readily available local ingredients in food preparation to ensure adequate nutrition for children.
Implementing nutrition activities in the area, in 2025, Cao Son Commune Health Station conducted weighing and growth monitoring for 1,473 out of 1,531 children under 5 years old, achieving a rate of 96.2%. Through monitoring, the entire commune recorded 224 children with mild underweight malnutrition (accounting for 15.2%) and 469 children with stunted growth malnutrition (accounting for 31.8%).
Health workers at Cao Son commune health station conduct health checkups for students in the area.
The quiet efforts of the grassroots healthcare staff in Cao Son have been making a significant contribution to the gradual positive transformation of maternal and child healthcare in the commune. Behind every statistic lies the hard work and dedication of these devoted grassroots healthcare workers.
Thanks to concerted efforts, in 2025, health and population work in Cao Son commune achieved positive results. Medical examination, treatment, and disease prevention and control were implemented comprehensively and effectively; the disease situation in the area remained basically stable, with no food poisoning incidents. Targeted health and population programs were implemented on schedule, contributing to improving the quality of primary healthcare for the people.
In the work of preventing and controlling infectious diseases, the commune's health station organized screening for 170 out of 170 suspected tuberculosis cases, achieving 100% of the plan. Currently, the entire commune has only one tuberculosis patient who is being managed, monitored, and treated according to the correct protocol at Muong Khuong Regional General Hospital.
The malaria prevention and control program continues to achieve sustainable results. The commune health station performed 108 blood smear tests for malaria parasites, achieving 100% completion, and all results were negative. In 2025, no cases or deaths due to malaria were recorded in the commune – confirming the effectiveness of epidemiological surveillance at the grassroots level.
Health check-ups combined with disease prevention education for the elderly.
In the field of non-communicable disease management, the commune health station proactively organized large-scale screening campaigns for the people. Through these campaigns, 4,092 people were screened for hypertension, with 331 cases detected and managed (including 8 new cases); 2,377 people were screened for diabetes, with 22 cases detected and managed. Early detection and regular monitoring have helped people gradually change their lifestyles and adhere to long-term treatment.
The expanded immunization program continues to be a highlight, with many targets met and exceeded: the rate of children under 1 year old receiving all 8 vaccines reached 95%; the rate of measles vaccine (second dose) reached 96%; and the rate of DPT vaccine (fourth dose) reached 95%. Vaccinations against Japanese encephalitis and tetanus for pregnant women also reached 95-96%, ensuring safety, adherence to schedules, and targeting the correct groups.
Instructions for mothers in mountainous regions on how to "color" bowls of porridge for their children.
In a remote and challenging mountainous area like Cao Son, the staff of the commune's health station quietly keep the flame of their profession alive, becoming a reliable support for the people, contributing to protecting and caring for community health and maintaining the health standards in the construction of new rural areas.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nhung-nguoi-giu-lua-o-tram-y-te-cao-son-post893287.html
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