Cancer patients and their family members at the hostel built by the National Cancer Hospital in Hanoi. For now, accommodation is free (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA/VNS) - Life had becomedifficult for Ho Nguyen Hoang of Nghe An Province ever since he was diagnosedwith esophageal cancer and began treatment at the National Cancer Hospital inHanoi.
And as if fighting cancer wasn’t enough, he and his wife struggled to findsomewhere to rest while he was not in the treatment room (for chemotherapy,radiation, etc.).
“We tramped around the hospital’s corridors or sat on the stairs whenever wecame here for treatment, like many other patients,” Hoang said.
The recent opening of a low-cost hostel by the hospital has come as a bigrelief for Hoang and his wife, as also other patients and their relatives.
The hostel is located at the hospital’s branch in Tan Trieu Commune, Thanh TriDistrict.
His wife applauded the move. The hostel, now free of charge for patients andtheir caretakers, has clean rooms and warm multiple-deck beds.
“If only the hospital had opened this hostel earlier,” she said, adding,“better late than never, of course.”
Another patient, Bui Van Tuan, from Vinh Phuc Province, said that he wasundergoing Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST), but the ward wasovercrowded. He had to share a bed with other patients, so he went to thehostel to sleep with his brother Bui Van Sau.
Sau told the Kinh te & Do thi (Economic and Urban Affairs)newspaper that he heard about the free hostel at Tan Trieu branch of NationalCancer Hospital early this month, but did not expect to get free accommodationthere because the hospital was usually overcrowded.
“When I completed hospitalreadmission papers for my brother, a staff instructed me to apply foraccommodation at the hostel,” Sau said.
“The free accommodation reduces difficulties that we face during the fightagainst cancer,” he said.
Nguyen Van Nam of Ha Nam Province was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancerthree years ago. The pale man was increasingly exhausted after days ofchemotherapy, but said that he was luckier than many other people as he wasstill alive. However, his life had become a big burden on the family, he said.
“Health insurance covers 80 percent of medical costs and my family has toborrow money to pay the rest.”
And as if fighting cancer wasn’t enough, he and his wife struggled to findsomewhere to rest while he was not in the treatment room (for chemotherapy,radiation, etc.).
“We tramped around the hospital’s corridors or sat on the stairs whenever wecame here for treatment, like many other patients,” Hoang said.
The recent opening of a low-cost hostel by the hospital has come as a bigrelief for Hoang and his wife, as also other patients and their relatives.
The hostel is located at the hospital’s branch in Tan Trieu Commune, Thanh TriDistrict.
His wife applauded the move. The hostel, now free of charge for patients andtheir caretakers, has clean rooms and warm multiple-deck beds.
“If only the hospital had opened this hostel earlier,” she said, adding,“better late than never, of course.”
Another patient, Bui Van Tuan, from Vinh Phuc Province, said that he wasundergoing Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST), but the ward wasovercrowded. He had to share a bed with other patients, so he went to thehostel to sleep with his brother Bui Van Sau.
Sau told the Kinh te & Do thi (Economic and Urban Affairs)newspaper that he heard about the free hostel at Tan Trieu branch of NationalCancer Hospital early this month, but did not expect to get free accommodationthere because the hospital was usually overcrowded.
“When I completed hospitalreadmission papers for my brother, a staff instructed me to apply foraccommodation at the hostel,” Sau said.
“The free accommodation reduces difficulties that we face during the fightagainst cancer,” he said.
Nguyen Van Nam of Ha Nam Province was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancerthree years ago. The pale man was increasingly exhausted after days ofchemotherapy, but said that he was luckier than many other people as he wasstill alive. However, his life had become a big burden on the family, he said.
“Health insurance covers 80 percent of medical costs and my family has toborrow money to pay the rest.”
“Previously, I used to undergo CEST during theday and sleep under stairs or in the hospital yard at night because I didn’thave money to rent a place to sleep.
“Sometimes it rained when I was sleeping. I quickly carry my blanket andran to the stairs. Sleeping in the open, I also had to fight againstmosquitoes, especially on days with high humidity,” Nam said, smiling.
He spoke with happiness about the free hostel, where he could sleep on a warmbed, and chit-chat with others. These were moments when he seemed to forget hisillness.
Tran Van Thuan, Director of the National Cancer Hospital, said that the 240-bedlow-cost hostel, opened in late February, expects to provide comfortableaccommodation for patients and their families. It would also help reducecongestion and improve hygiene at the hospital.
In the very days of its opening, more than 500 people have registered to staythere, he said.
The hospital arranges accommodation for about 300 people as some rest duringthe day and others need a place to sleep at night.
For now, the hospital provides free accommodation for patients and theircaretakers at the hostel, but in the coming months a payment of 15,000 VND perbed per day would be charged. This is much cheaper than what people usually payoutside, 80,000-100,000 VND per day, according to patients.
Thuan said that Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien had urged the hospital manytimes to arrange a hostel for patients and their family members.
“As a doctor, I feel the pain, the sadness, stress and difficulties thatpatients and their families have to suffer,” Thuan said.
“Nothing is more hopeless than the situation in which the doctors know aboutthe patients’ illness but fail to save them,” he said, adding that this madehim very eager to provide some relief to the patients, to somehow ease theirburden.
“This is why the National Cancer Hospital opened the low-cost hostel, althoughwe ourselves face many difficulties including overcrowding and shortage offacilities,” he said.
The hospital has also taken 15 measures and successfully introduced advancedtechniques to improve examination and treatment, he added.
The low-cost hostel was built with an investment of nearly 3 billion VND (133,000USD), funded by Thai CP Group.
According to the National Institute for Cancer Control, more than 160,000 newcancer patients are detected in the country every year. There are 115,000cancer deaths every year.- VNA
“Sometimes it rained when I was sleeping. I quickly carry my blanket andran to the stairs. Sleeping in the open, I also had to fight againstmosquitoes, especially on days with high humidity,” Nam said, smiling.
He spoke with happiness about the free hostel, where he could sleep on a warmbed, and chit-chat with others. These were moments when he seemed to forget hisillness.
Tran Van Thuan, Director of the National Cancer Hospital, said that the 240-bedlow-cost hostel, opened in late February, expects to provide comfortableaccommodation for patients and their families. It would also help reducecongestion and improve hygiene at the hospital.
In the very days of its opening, more than 500 people have registered to staythere, he said.
The hospital arranges accommodation for about 300 people as some rest duringthe day and others need a place to sleep at night.
For now, the hospital provides free accommodation for patients and theircaretakers at the hostel, but in the coming months a payment of 15,000 VND perbed per day would be charged. This is much cheaper than what people usually payoutside, 80,000-100,000 VND per day, according to patients.
Thuan said that Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien had urged the hospital manytimes to arrange a hostel for patients and their family members.
“As a doctor, I feel the pain, the sadness, stress and difficulties thatpatients and their families have to suffer,” Thuan said.
“Nothing is more hopeless than the situation in which the doctors know aboutthe patients’ illness but fail to save them,” he said, adding that this madehim very eager to provide some relief to the patients, to somehow ease theirburden.
“This is why the National Cancer Hospital opened the low-cost hostel, althoughwe ourselves face many difficulties including overcrowding and shortage offacilities,” he said.
The hospital has also taken 15 measures and successfully introduced advancedtechniques to improve examination and treatment, he added.
The low-cost hostel was built with an investment of nearly 3 billion VND (133,000USD), funded by Thai CP Group.
According to the National Institute for Cancer Control, more than 160,000 newcancer patients are detected in the country every year. There are 115,000cancer deaths every year.- VNA
VNA
