“On New Year’s Day, it’s difficult to travel, so I’m also worried. Meanwhile, if the mother and child stay at the center when there is a problem, the doctors can handle it promptly. Due to medical treatment, she can’t go to school like many other friends”, Ms. Uyen might not hide the sadness in her voice.
With a thin figure, weighing only 30kg, Ly (30 years old, from Nghe An) is thin and has had more than 10 years of dialysis at the center. After 2 years of not being able to return to her hometown to celebrate Tet due to the Covid-19 epidemic, this year, she decided to take a bus to Nghe An following the last round of dialysis.
Ms. Ly is working part-time at a craft factory. An income of more than one million VND/month helps her to have more living expenses in Hanoi. With money for treatment, she had to ask her parents for help. This Tet, she is rewarded with an additional 13th month of salary, a meager amount but also an extra income to buy Tet.
A Daughter’s Heartwarming Question
For nurse Vu Thi Hao (41 years old) at the Center for Nephrology, Urology and Dialysis, her last shift this year is the night of the 29th New Year. On the 2nd day of Tet, she will return to work early in the morning.
In recent years, the center’s leaders have been able to arrange for medical staff to have a day off on the 1st. In the past, if the first day of the year did not fall on a Sunday, they would still go to work as usual.
“I have 18 years working at the center. In the first two years, the family also asked regarding the schedule for Tet holiday, but from the third year, everyone got used to the fact that they only had the first day of Tet holiday, so no one asked anymore. Sometimes I hear my daughter ask, ‘Can’t you have a Tet holiday? Why don’t you take me to Tet?’, I can’t help but feel frustrated. But when I take a break, the patient also has to take a break, and the patient can’t miss the dialysis session,” she shared.
Due to her busy work, Ms. Hao as well as many medical staff working at the center had to take advantage of Tet shopping early. They also take this rare break to stay at home with relatives and family.
Dr. BS Nguyen Huu Dung – Deputy Director of the Center for Nephrology, Urology and Dialysis, Bach Mai Hospital, further information that hemodialysis patients must adhere to a regular schedule. They go to the center 3 times a week for dialysis.
This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year falls on a Sunday, so doctors don’t have to push shifts or do additional dialysis like in previous years. In order for patients to return home to celebrate Tet early, the center flexibly arranges dialysis schedules. Therefore, on the 29th of Tet, medical staff will work 3 shifts from 6:30 to 20:00. On the 30th day of Tet, the dialysis shift starts at 9am and will end at 12:30pm, earlier than usual.
Thus, patients can return to their hometown to celebrate Tet with their families without missing any dialysis. On the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year, the work schedule returns to the normal day.
During the break, the center still arranges emergency shifts for patients with acute pulmonary edema, unexpected dialysis, etc. According to Dr. Dung, before the patient returns to his hometown, the doctors all advise on the diet. drink science, but on New Year’s Day, they may drink more cups of water, eat a lot of fruits such as bananas, watermelons, etc., causing potassium in the blood to increase, forcing urgent dialysis.
Currently, the center is dialysis for 350 patients, regarding 200 patients in the provinces around Hanoi. “Many dialysis patients are at the center for 10 years, 15 years, the oldest is 29 years. Therefore, the patients and doctors all know each other and are attached to the center like family,” the doctor added.
