A lifeline at the "door of death"

HNN - For many people, the health insurance card is only remembered when they are sick. But for patients who are unfortunate enough to suffer from serious illnesses or accidents, it is a "lifeline," helping to reduce the burden of hospital fees and opening up opportunities to continue treatment to save their lives.

Health insurance cards are considered a "lifeline" for many people when they are sick or ill.

A story from the emergency room.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai (47 years old) owns a small tailoring shop in Phu Xuan ward. Her monthly income isn't high, but it's enough to cover basic living expenses for her family. Tragedy struck her family late last year. After prolonged coughing spells and chest pains, Ms. Mai had to be admitted to Hue Central Hospital for treatment. The diagnosis of stage III lung cancer plunged her family into crisis. Doctors predicted that treatment would be lengthy and very expensive.

During nearly eight months of treatment with multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Ms. Mai's total expenses exceeded 200 million VND. Thanks to her continuous participation in health insurance for five years, the majority of the costs were covered by the health insurance fund, allowing her family to pay only a small portion as per regulations.

"Luckily, we had health insurance, which covered hundreds of millions of dong in hospital fees. Without health insurance, my family really wouldn't know how to cope," Ms. Mai shared, her health gradually stabilizing after intensive treatment.

Mr. Hai, from Thuan An ward, is another case. A fisherman who spends his life at sea supporting his wife and two children who are still in school, while riding his motorbike home from the fishing port after a fishing trip, he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck and crashed into a roadside utility pole. When he was taken to the hospital by locals, Mr. Hai was in a deep coma, and his prognosis was extremely critical.

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Upon hearing the news of her husband's accident, Lan, his wife, managed to gather and borrow money from neighbors, but only managed to raise a meager 10 million dong to pay for hospital expenses. Seeing her husband lying in the recovery room surrounded by medical equipment, and hearing the doctor announce that the treatment costs could reach hundreds of millions of dong, Lan was devastated. "At that time, I was truly hopeless. I even thought about selling the house," Lan recalled, her voice choked with emotion.

After spending over two months in the Intensive Care Unit and undergoing two bone-fixing surgeries, Mr. Hai's total treatment cost over 250 million VND. After more than three months of treatment and rehabilitation, he was able to walk again and gradually return to normal life. "Without health insurance, my family wouldn't have been able to afford the hospital fees. Thanks to health insurance, my husband was able to continue his treatment," Ms. Lan shared.

Lifebuoy

The stories of Ms. Mai and Mr. Hai are just two of many cases where the health insurance fund has shared the cost of treatment. At tertiary hospitals, thousands of patients suffering from serious illnesses, severe accidents, kidney failure, cardiovascular diseases, etc., are having their treatment costs covered by the health insurance fund every day.

According to the Social Insurance Department of Hue City, in the first six months of 2026, the total cost of health insurance-covered medical examinations and treatments is estimated at approximately 1,845 billion VND, with more than 1.22 million medical examinations and treatments, an increase of 7.2% compared to the same period in 2025.

It's clear that proactively participating in health insurance for oneself and one's family is not only a responsibility, but also the wisest preparation to protect oneself in old age and against unforeseen events, accidents, and illnesses. Don't wait until something happens to realize the value of health insurance as a "lifeline."

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According to the Hue City Social Insurance agency, in the coming time, the unit will continue to coordinate with local authorities and collection service organizations to promote and encourage people to participate in health insurance; strengthen advice on contribution levels, benefits and procedures for medical examination and treatment; and guide people to use digital platforms such as VssID, VNeID and the Public Service Portal to look up, renew cards and carry out transactions related to health insurance.

No one wants to end up in the emergency room or face a life-threatening illness. But when misfortune strikes, health insurance can become a lifeline, helping patients overcome the most difficult period. Therefore, participating in health insurance is not only about implementing a social security policy, but also a way for each individual to proactively protect themselves and their families from unforeseen events.

Text and photos: NGOC BICH

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/y-te-suc-khoe/phao-cuu-sinh-noi-cua-tu-167196.html