Xiao luong at 2 - 3 am
Standing in front of the gate of Can Tho City Oncology Hospital, when receiving the results of a tumor at the age of over 60, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hoang (Vinh Long province) experienced a feeling of disappointment and helplessness. However, the difficulties did not stop there, because when admitted to the radiation therapy department, Ms. Hoang had to wait 2 months because the hospital did not have enough machinery to serve.
"The exclamations during the tiring time waiting for radiotherapy always haunt me. Sometimes I go fishing at 2-3 am. I have to say that the doctor encouraged me a lot, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it," Ms. Hoang said sadly.
Lying next to Ms. Hoang, Ms. Le Thi Yen (Can Tho City) also struggled every night with pain and grief for female patients in the same room: "Seeing the 70-year-old women I could not bear. We just hope to have a better place to live, to invest in radiotherapy machines to shorten treatment time".
The radiotherapy department of Can Tho City Oncology Hospital currently has a scale of 85 beds. Statistics show that the number of radiotherapy patients here has increased sharply over the years: 2021 is 16,371, 2022 is 26,182, 2023 is 20,822.
Doctor CKII. Tran Thanh Phong - Head of the Department confirmed that in the past, the Department was only equipped with an outdated Cobalt 60 radiotherapy machine, which had to operate 24/7 to serve patients. There are patients who have to wait up to 3 - 4 months to receive radiotherapy and this condition has lasted for about 5 years. Medical staff are always on duty, in addition to focusing on each case, we often visit and explain to patients because we know that we are their spiritual support, Dr. Phong informed.
Facilities are overloaded, seriously degraded
Meanwhile, the General Surgery Department of this Hospital has an area of over 200m2 but currently has to list about 80 beds, each bed has 2-3 patients. Every day of the week, the Department is always overloaded. We receive about 600 - 700 patients/day in the city as well as neighboring provinces for examination and treatment MSc. Dr. CK II Huynh Minh Thien, Head of the General Planning Department of the Hospital, informed.
It is known that to meet the needs of patient treatment, the Hospital is arranging medical examinations from 6am to 7pm (including holidays), the capacity of hospital beds is always over 100%, peaking at 150%. Not only that, in recent years, hundreds, thousands of patients have had to lie on old, torn cushions. Around are cracked walls, narrow paths, curved floor tiles, and peeling ceiling.
" Heavy rain will leak, and flooding will occur on high tide days.We only have faith in the day the new 500-bed hospital investment project will be restarted soon so that people in the West with cancer will also suffer less, said Mr. Tao Kim Tuan (Can Tho City).
Talking to Lao Dong, Dr. Vo Van Kha - Director of Can Tho City Oncology Hospital - said that during the difficult period, the Board of Directors and the medical team always accompanied and encouraged patients in their treatment.We are really looking forward to the radiotherapy machines being put into operation to help reduce the pressure, as well as the new hospital project being completed, said Mr. Kha.
Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW dated August 5, 2020 of the Politburo on the construction and development of Can Tho City to 2030, with a vision to 2045, aims to turn Can Tho into a specialized medical center of the Mekong Delta region. The health sector will focus on investing in developing end-line hospitals such as Can Tho Central General Hospital, Cardiovascular Hospital, Oncology Hospital, Children's Hospital, and many other major medical facilities to receive and treat serious and complicated cases from neighboring provinces and train medical human resources for the whole region.
