People who have been on dialysis for decades
In the heart of Dien Bien Phu City, in Noong Bua village (Noong Bua ward), there is a small boarding house that contains many touching stories. People often call this place “dialysis village”, because almost all residents suffer from the terrible disease of kidney failure.
The boarding house is located not far from the Provincial General Hospital, and is a support for poor patients. They have been attached to this boarding house for many years, some even living here for 5-6 years. Every other day, the patients in the boarding house have to go to the hospital for dialysis.
Being cared for by his wife in the “dialysis” hamlet, Vu A So (38 years old, Muong Nha commune, Dien Bien district) has been battling this disease for 13 years. Recalling the early days, So said: “In the past, when I was working as a bridge builder in Hanoi, to have money for treatment, I had to sell my family’s cow. After many years of fighting this terrible disease, my health has become increasingly weaker. Once when I was returning home, I unfortunately fell and now both my legs are paralyzed, forcing me to depend on a wheelchair.”
Thanks to the generous help of benefactors, the burden of life for patients has been somewhat eased. Practical gifts such as rice and cash have helped overcome the difficulties. “In particular, the landlady is very kind, waiving room fees for patients. As for dialysis, the cost has been covered by health insurance,” said Mr. So.
The “dialysis” neighborhood is a “common home” for 19 poor patients, all of whom are struggling with chronic kidney failure. In a dilapidated rented room of less than 10 square meters, Mr. Lu Van Anh (64 years old, Lay Nua commune, Muong Lay town) and his old wife have been struggling to survive for nearly 6 years.
Talking about his family's situation, Mr. Anh choked up and said: "My family is very poor, we sold all 3 buffaloes, we sold everything." Although meals only consisted of rice and soup, life was very difficult, but they still tried to hold on, hoping to prolong their lives.
Every morning at 9am and 5pm, the communal kitchen of the neighborhood becomes bustling. The patients cook together, they are not only patients, but also friends and relatives, sharing the burdens of life.
"Dialysis" neighborhood is about to be cleared
Ms. Lo Thi Dinh (Noong Bua village, Noong Bua ward), a landlord, said: “I dedicate part of my boarding house to support poor patients, especially those who need dialysis. Instead of charging 300,000 VND as usual, I waive the boarding fee and only charge 100,000 VND to pay for electricity and water. I have been doing this since 2018.”
However, Ms. Dinh also expressed her concern that this land is part of the planning project to build the Provincial Administrative - Political Center and is about to be cleared. “I am very worried about the patients and the people who are renting here, not knowing where they will go, where they will return…” - Ms. Dinh said.
According to Ms. Dinh, if patients have to move, it will be difficult to find new accommodation at affordable prices. In other areas, similar rooms can cost up to 300,000 VND/month, not including electricity and water bills. However, this is a provincial plan, so there is no way to know what to do.
“Fortunately, there are many benefactors who regularly come to support people with rice, fish sauce, salt and other necessities. Thanks to that, their lives are somewhat supported,” Ms. Dinh added.
In Dien Bien province, there are nearly 200 patients with end-stage chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis, of which many are young people aged 18-30, accounting for over 30%.
In our country, there are about 10 million people with chronic kidney disease, the mortality rate of this disease ranks 8th among the 10 leading causes of death in Vietnam. Each year, the number of new cases diagnosed is about 8,000.
The number of patients requiring dialysis is about 800,000, but currently Vietnam only has 5,500 machines serving 33,000 patients. According to statistics, 50% of patients on dialysis die within 5 years.
