Military doctor at the Vietnam - Laos border
One stormy night, pregnant woman A Lang Thi Chung - A Xan border commune, Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province (bordering Ka Lum district, Se Kong province, Laos) - suddenly went into labor with severe abdominal pain. In this remote place, considered the "gateway to heaven" on the border, whenever people get sick, they can only rely on shamans to chase away the "forest ghosts".
Fortunately, in the critical moment, a family member picked up the phone and called Major, Doctor Nguyen Van Quoc Tri, Deputy Head of the A Xan Military-Civilian General Clinic. Despite the late night, difficult roads, heavy rain and strong winds, only 20 minutes later, Doctor Tri was at the pregnant woman's house, helping her to successfully "give birth".
Ms. A Lang Thi Chung recalls: “Thanks to Dr. Tri’s guidance and delivery, after only 30 minutes I gave birth to a healthy baby boy weighing 3kg. My husband and I are very happy and grateful to Dr. Tri for helping me and the people here during difficult times and illnesses.”
Major, military doctor Nguyen Van Quoc Tri said that the A Xan Military-Civilian General Clinic is in charge of health care for patients in 4 communes: Axan, Tr'hy, Gary, Ch'om, Tay Giang district.
This is a particularly difficult border area, where the people’s education level is limited, resulting in many backward customs. Most recently, on November 21, the unit also promptly saved a Co Tu woman in Tay Giang who committed suicide by using poison ivy, due to a conflict with her husband. Therefore, the unit’s staff prioritized the implementation of propaganda work for people to seek medical treatment when they are sick.
To get closer to the people in the border areas, Major and Doctor Nguyen Van Quoc Tri learned the Co Tu language to communicate when examining and treating patients. Thanks to that, the people have more faith in the words and actions of the soldiers in green uniforms.
According to Mr. Bling Mo in Tr'hy commune, Tay Giang district, in the past, whenever they were sick, most of the ethnic people in the 4 communes: Axan, Tr'hy, Gary, Ch'om, Tay Giang district often went to see shamans more than going to the clinic, seeing doctors. "Since the A Xan Military-Civilian General Clinic and dedicated military medical staff like Doctor Tri have been established, people have received better health care," Mr. Bling Mo said gratefully.
Shining the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers
According to Dr. Bling Nhoi - Head of A Xan Military-Civilian General Clinic, on average each year, the clinic treats from 6,000 to 8,000 patients from 4 communes of Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province and border villages of Ka Lum district, Sekong province, Laos.
The team of doctors and nurses in green uniforms and the medical staff of the clinic, especially Major and Doctor Nguyen Van Quoc Tri, are all devoted to patients, enthusiastically examining and treating patients according to the health insurance policy, creating conditions for ethnic minorities in the area to easily access basic medical services. At the same time, they promote propaganda and mobilize people to build a new lifestyle, join the border guards in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security.
Mr. Sut Nhon, from Ka Lum district, Sekong province, Lao PDR said: “I came here for a check-up and was taken care of by the doctors, so my illness has improved a lot. The clinic is a trusted address for people in the border villages of Vietnam and Laos, whenever the weather changes.”
Major Le Van Thu - Political Commissar of Tr'hy Border Post, Quang Nam Border Guard - assessed that after nearly 20 years of being attached to the border area of the Fatherland, Major, Doctor Nguyen Van Quoc Tri and the soldiers wearing green uniforms of Tr'hy Border Post and the officers and staff of A Xan Military-Civilian General Clinic have helped the ethnic people here, especially the Co Tu people, to improve their understanding of the harmful effects of superstition and gradually eliminate backward customs, especially the story of "forest ghosts".
With his silent contributions, Major, Doctor Nguyen Van Quoc Tri was awarded a certificate of merit by the Border Guard Command in 2022. In June 2024, he was honored to participate in the exchange program "Shining the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers" organized by the Ministry of National Defense.
