The Power of Kindness from the Story of a Poor Boy in Trouble

On the afternoon of May 3, a general hospital in a northern province admitted a 4-year-old patient who had been involved in a traffic accident. Although he had no documents, had not registered for examination or paid any money, the patient was immediately examined and ordered to do paraclinical tests. When the person accompanying the patient was instructed to register for administrative procedures, a hospital staff member wondered, "How can five hundred thousand (500,000 - NV) be enough?". This process was filmed by a local and posted online, from which many hasty opinions said that the hospital "refused to provide emergency care because the patient had no money", "made things difficult for poor patients"...

In fact, although the staff was worried because the child had no money, and the parents had not arrived yet, the hospital immediately performed the same procedures as with other patients. The child was assigned tests, abdominal and chest CT scan, chest X-ray, blood test... This was a serious case, the provincial hospital did not have enough equipment and expertise to handle it in the best way; so the child was given emergency care, resuscitation, intravenous fluids, pain relief, and was quickly transferred to the upper level, the National Children's Hospital. That same night, the boy underwent emergency surgery, suturing the diaphragm, preserving the left kidney, cutting the crushed intestine and connecting the intestine... Up to now, the boy is awake, breathing on his own, eating and digesting well, and his intestines circulate normally, and is expected to be discharged in the next few days.

In the incident where the clip was posted online, besides countless criticisms, there are still many opinions that we should sympathize with the concerns of medical staff when receiving patients without money. A medical expert said that in some hospitals, if patients do not have money, medical staff must use their personal money to "compensate" for those cases, or the hospital will find a way to make up for it by taking from other funds to compensate. In this incident, although the provincial hospital had in fact done all the steps to handle the case, the hospital was still quick and brave to take responsibility for letting the situation happen that caused public reaction and temporarily suspended some medical staff to review the process, correct attitudes, verify and clarify...

The noisy story finally had a happy ending. The entire treatment cost of nearly 23 million VND was paid by the Health Insurance Fund because the child under 6 years old had a valid referral. Although there was no call for support, by noon on May 7, benefactors had donated more than 171 million VND to the patient's family. The boy was unlucky to have an accident, but fortunately, a stranger took him to the provincial hospital for emergency treatment in the best way, the central hospital promptly performed surgery, the Health Insurance Fund paid all the hospital fees, and benefactors provided additional money. That shows the power of responsibility, love, compassion, solidarity, and support in society. The incident also teaches us a lesson that before there is clear verification, multi-dimensional information, and official reports; We should not rush to condemn and make accusations, especially with medical staff, who are under a lot of pressure because of their extremely important and specific work.

Bui Chanh Yen

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/suc-manh-cua-long-nhan-ai-tu-cau-chuyen-cau-be-ngheo-gap-nan-post547707.html