Bui Dinh Linh – a doctor loved by islanders
Doctor Bui Dinh Linh at the
9th National Patriotic Emulation Congress
After graduating from Thai Binh Medical University in 1986, Doctor Linh refused to work at a major provincial hospital and volunteered to work on Phu Quy island. Phu Quy hospital at that time was a small clinic with only basic equipment and appendicitis claimed dozens of lives every year. Linh recalled the story of Nguyen Moi who showed appendicitis symptoms 20 days before his appendix ruptured. This was in 1987 when every emergency case on the island had to be sent to Phan Thiet City for treatment. It was too late to transport Mr. Moi to Phan Thiet, 56 nautical miles away, so Doctor Linh decided to perform surgery on the island to try to save Moi’s life. Linh and his colleagues worked day and night for a week to ensure Moi’s recovery. Moi says Dr. Linh saved his life. "I have always been grateful to Doctor Linh, who saved my life. My whole family, children, and grandchildren, are also grateful for what he did to help us."
Over the past 3 decades, Linh and his colleagues have spared no effort to turn Phu Quy clinic into a full-fledged hospital with 50 doctors. Phu Quy island has become Linh’s second home and he is often called by the islanders “the fishermen’s doctor”. Pham Phuoc lives on Phu Quy island: "Linh is a kind-hearted doctor who is very experienced in his profession. We have signed a petition to ask the provincial Health Department to let him stay on the island to help us. He cures our diseases and helps us whenever we are in need."
Healthcare services on Phu Quy island have improved a lot. Its hospital now has modern medical equipment and the latest technologies for diagnosis and treatment. Bui Dinh Linh told VOV: "My colleagues and I always keep in mind that working under poor conditions on remote islands require extra effort. We’ve always followed President Ho’s teaching that doctors should act as their patients’ mother."