Cho Ray Hospital’s Social Work Section has called for sponsorship for medical treatment for poor patients.

At 6 p.m., Nguyen Nhu Hung of Binh Duong province knocked on the door of Le Minh Hien to inform the head of the Social Work Section of Cho Ray Hospital that his wife had awakened after a surgery to remove a giant tumor from her right thigh.

Hung's wife is the sister of Le Thanh Vu, a patient who was called a "mutant" 9 years ago because he had 4 large tumors weighing about 15 kilos, three of which looked like strange lumps of flesh on his back and one giant tumor on his left arm.

In 2012, thanks to funding via Cho Ray Hospital’s Social Work Section and press agencies, the hospital’s surgeons successfully removed Vu’s tumors.

Hung says that nine years later, his wife - Vu's sister – also received the support of the hospital’s Social Work Section to have her tumor removed.

“Innitially I only planned to take my wife to the hospital for an exam, because we didn’t have enough money for surgery. But the hospital doctors told us to stay for treatment, and they would find donors to pay for it. Now I’m very happy because my wife’s tumor has been removed,” said Hung.

Hung’s wife and brother-in-law are two of thousands of poor patients who have been helped by Cho Ray Hospital’s Social Work Section.

Hien says his agency receives more than 100 requests a month from patients who need financial assistance. The hospital has raised nearly 870,000 USD in donations for poor patients.

Hien’s section has gotten charity organizations to provide 4,500 free vegetarian meals for patients' relatives. The meals are served all year round including Tet (lunar New Year Festival) and other holidays.

Hien says the section has created special programs to care for and support cancer patients, adding, “All we do, even the smallest things, is based on understanding the patients’ needs and concerns. We want to meet their needs and reduce their pains.”

Social workers of District 2 Hospital in HCMCity have arrived in remote areas to offer medical checkup for disadvantaged people.

65-year-old Dr. Tran Thi Tuyet Mai, who works in the Social Work Section of Children's Hospital No1 in Ho Chi Minh City, says raising donations to pay for the child patients’ treatment has motivated her to keep working and loving her job.

“I’m still strong and can help many children. I want to go to remote areas and bring as many poor children as possible to the city for treatment instead of waiting until they become critically ill,” she said.

The social workers of District 2 Hospital in HCM city organize one or two trips a month to perform free medical exams in remote areas.

Tran Quang Chau, head of the hospital’s Social Work Section, said, “These trips reveal the needs of local people and how important grassroots healthcare is. The more trips we participate in, the more responsible we feel for helping the locals get quality healthcare.”