Journey from poor village to university
Born in Da Chat village (Truong Son commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province), doctor Ho Puon (born in 1977) grew up in difficult years. His family was poor, but his parents' encouragement helped him to go to school.
From a young age, Ho Puon understood that only education could help him and his villagers escape poverty and backwardness.
His path to education was not easy. After graduating from primary school, Ho Puon was the only person in the commune who packed up and left the village to go to Quang Binh Province Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities to study at secondary and high school. The days of walking dozens of kilometers through the forest, hungry and cold, did not deter him.
He once dreamed of becoming a border guard or a forest ranger to protect his homeland, but it was the times he witnessed his fellow countrymen suffering from serious illnesses and being unable to be treated because of their belief in worship that urged him to choose the path of medicine. This decision brought him from a poor village to the lecture hall of Thai Nguyen University of Medicine - where he studied to bring the light of medicine back to his homeland.
After graduating from university, Ho Puon returned to Quang Binh and worked at the Quang Ninh District Health Department. Although he worked at the district center, he still spent his weekends traveling dozens of kilometers of forest roads to return to his village to examine and treat patients.
In 2015, he officially transferred to Truong Son Commune Health Station - the place where he always wanted to contribute. Since then, Dr. Ho Puon has not only taken care of the health of his fellow countrymen but also played the role of an inspiration, helping villagers change their perceptions.
“I asked to return to my village, where I wanted to contribute since my first days of school. Witnessing the changes in people’s awareness and life, I feel that my efforts are truly meaningful,” Dr. Puon shared.
Unforgettable stories on the journey of medical ethics
Doctor Ho Puon’s journey to the border commune of Truong Son is not without touching stories. He is used to going through forests and crossing streams to remote villages such as Doc May or Ploang to examine patients.
One memory he will always remember is the time he visited Thi Nan’s family in Ploang village. Nan was pregnant but had a miscarriage and refused to go to the hospital because of difficult conditions.
Seeing her critical condition, he immediately took her to the hospital by all means, and at the same time called on his team members to donate to support the hospital expenses. Thanks to timely treatment, she recovered and did not forget to thank him when she returned. For him, those moments were the greatest reward for a medical professional.
One of the greatest achievements of Dr. Ho Puon is not only in curing diseases, but also in helping the Bru - Van Kieu people gradually abandon backward customs such as believing in forest ghosts, poison ghosts, or curing diseases by worship.
Thanks to persistent propaganda and on-site health care, people have increasingly trusted modern medicine. Along with the support of the government and border guards, the villages here have had many positive changes.
For Dr. Ho Puon, being attached to the village and dedicating himself to the health of his fellow countrymen is a mission that he is proud of. He shared: "Being attached to the land and people here and putting all my heart into the medical profession to take care of the health of the people is a mission that I am very proud of. I just hope that the people will become healthier, escape poverty and build a better life."
