Oriental medicine clinic provides free treatment for the poor

Physician Nguyen Van Chien takes the pulse of a patient.

Called a clinic, this is a large area of about 300 square meters, located right next to Long Thanh Pagoda. Most of the space is used to store oriental medicine. In the corner, there is a small table where physician Nguyen Van Chien takes the pulse, examines and prescribes prescriptions for patients.

Doctor Chien turns 64 this year. He is thin, but always has a smile on his face, even though he has to work almost non-stop from early morning until lunchtime. Sometimes he examines patients, sometimes he goes to the medicine warehouse, moving quickly around his clinic.

The clinic's examination hours are from Monday to Saturday mornings. In the afternoon, physician Nguyen Van Chien and volunteers will spend time cutting and drying herbs.

Physician Nguyen Van Chien said he studied oriental medicine at a medical university in Ho Chi Minh City, then stayed to work at several hospitals and clinics.

In 2010, he returned to his hometown in Thoi An ward, O Mon district (now O Mon ward) to practice at a local medical facility. During this time, he had the opportunity to witness many people in his hometown in difficult circumstances, unable to afford medical treatment when they were sick. Many people had to travel to traditional medicine clinics in other localities, which was expensive and difficult.

After some time of thinking, Mr. Chien decided to quit his job and join forces with a few kind-hearted friends to set up an oriental medicine clinic to treat the poor.

Many poor patients come to the clinic for treatment.

Physician Chien was supported by Long Thanh Pagoda with a location to open a charity clinic. In 2012, the clinic was established and has since become a familiar address for the poor, not only in the locality but also in distant provinces and cities such as Hue, Da Nang ...

On average, every day, the clinic at Long Thanh Pagoda receives about 70 to 100 patients for examination and free medicine. Patients from far away are supported with vegetarian meals by the pagoda to reduce the burden of expenses during the treatment process. "Everyone here is the same. Many people with good economic conditions heard about the clinic so they came and were cured. After that, they contributed money for us to treat other people," said physician Chien.

The clinic has received a lot of support. The temple provided space, friends and colleagues provided medicine, and people helped with other tasks. I only contributed a little bit of my work. Although the workload was large and the pressure was not small, when I saw the poor people being treated, I felt less difficult and tired. Treating people to cure their illnesses is also a source of happiness for me and the volunteers.
Physician Nguyen Van Chien

Regarding medicine, according to physician Nguyen Van Chien, fortunately, the movement to voluntarily seek herbal medicine has been established in the locality for a long time. Thoi An Ward has always been famous for its abundant source of herbal medicine.

Doctor Chien examines patients in the morning, and in the afternoon he and everyone else cut and dry herbs.

However, that is not enough because each month the clinic gives away about 15 tons of dry medicine for free.

To avoid a shortage of medicine, Mr. Chien regularly contacts friends and colleagues in other localities. “Knowing that I am doing volunteer work, when asking for medicine, everyone is enthusiastic and happy. Therefore, for more than ten years of operation, the clinic has always ensured enough medicine for treatment,” said physician Chien.

At first, the clinic faced many difficulties due to lack of facilities and human resources. However, thanks to the good reputation, people from all over came to support.

To date, the clinic has a team of hundreds of people collecting medicinal herbs and 14 volunteers who regularly come to help with dispensing medicine and guiding patients. Thanks to that contribution, the clinic's operations have gradually improved and remained stable to this day.

Mr. Tong Van Dien, 60 years old, from O Mon ward, was previously a long-term patient at physician Chien's clinic. Later, when his condition stabilized, Mr. Dien applied to become a collaborator here. Mr. Dien was assigned to collect medicine from various places and send it to the bus stations every morning.

Physician Nguyen Van Chien prescribes medicine for patients.

Mr. Dien said: "Thanks to this clinic, I am healthy, so I volunteered to stay and help my teacher and the people. Working at this clinic, I find it very meaningful. Every day, seeing many poor people being treated, I appreciate it more and more and want to contribute more."

Treating dozens, even hundreds of people every day, many of whom have serious illnesses, physician Nguyen Van Chien always maintains an optimistic spirit.

Every time a patient comes to see him, he asks them kindly and thoroughly learns about their condition and family background. He believes that medical treatment comes from the heart, and joy is not in having many patients or being famous, but in recovering health.

I used to have kidney stones but due to difficult circumstances, I could not afford treatment. I came here to get examined and prescribed medicine, and after a while my illness subsided completely, and I was treated very enthusiastically by Mr. Chien. Therefore, whenever I see someone in difficult circumstances who is sick, I introduce them here."
TVT patient (residing in Dong Thap)

With more than a decade of persistently providing free medical treatment to the poor, physician Nguyen Van Chien and the charity clinic at Long Thanh Pagoda have become a bright spot in the volunteer oriental medicine movement of Can Tho city.

Physician Chien received many certificates of merit from all levels and sectors.

These efforts are not only trusted by people everywhere, but also recognized by society with many noble awards, including the "For the cause of oriental medicine" Medal in 2023, the title "National outstanding oriental medicine practitioner" in 2024. This is a worthy recognition for a persistent, humane and meaningful journey.

From the kind smile of physician Nguyen Van Chien to the dedication of volunteers, all have created a meaningful address, where love and sharing become valuable "medicine", helping many people overcome illness to continue living peacefully and optimistically.

HOANG PHAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phong-kham-dong-y-chua-benh-mien-phi-cho-nguoi-ngheo-post901319.html