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Doctors treat patients for free at clinic in Ha Noi
For 20 years, Dang Thi Nhan, 67, has been waking up about 30 minutes earlier each day to bake cakes or prepare tea for two retired doctors in a clinic near her house in Ha Noi's Giap Bat Ward. That is all Nhan can offer as thanks to doctors who provide free health checks for herself, her paralysed husband and their 43-year-old disabled son. "If one day they cannot take care of themselves and need some one to look after, I will do it voluntarily till the day they are gone," Nhan said.
The small clinic, situated on Kim Dong Street, has become familiar to many people in Ha Noi. It was established in 1992 by Dr Truong Thi Hoi To, 84, a former principal of Nam Dinh Medical College, Le Thi Soc, 87, a retired nurse from Saint Paul Municipal Hospital, and Le Thanh Thuoc, the late deputy director of the Viet Nam National Cancer Hospital, who died last year. The clinic used to open every Monday and Thursday. However, after doctor Thuoc died and due to the deteriorating health of the two other medics, the clinic now only opens on Monday mornings at 8 am. Patients not only receive health checks, but they also receive free medicine.
Since 2014, the clinic has treated about 8,500 patients, according to Giap Bat ward's Red Cross Association. On its first days, the clinic faced numerous difficulties due to lack of money. Mrs. To, founder of the clinic, had to spend her own pension and encourage her children and relatives to donate money to purchase medical equipment and medicine. The clinic also had to relocate seven times as To and her co-workers could not afford high rents. Despite these difficulties, they never thought of giving up. "Being able to help my patients brings me unspeakable joy. This is also my life target. It warms my heart to see the happy faces of the patients," To said.
Tran Thi Toan, 64, a patient from Nam Dinh Province, now works as a servant in Ha Noi. She is grateful to doctor To and nurse Soc not just for the free treatment, but for their caring manner, Toan said: "They give me meticulous treatment and clear, detailed instruction as well as advise me on a healthy and happy lifestyle". Toan feels shy about her job, so the doctors' care and compassionate attitude have become her inspiration in life.
To the doctors, the most precious thing they receive from their patients is confidence in their skills, which can only be achieved through ethics and medical excellence. "The success of a doctor does not lies in how much money they earn, but how many people they help", Soc said. Sharing Soc's opinion, To said that "Medical practitioners should not consider their profession as a tool to get rich. They should not benefit from their patients' pain. Patients come first, not money."