Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Unlike manymedical graduates who want to work in big cities like Hanoi, Nguyen Chien Quyet,from the northern province of Hung Yen, chose to work in northern mountainousareas to help the disadvantaged people living there.

“I just think that it will be difficult forme to wholeheartedly care for people in mountainous regions once I’m married,”he said.

Three years ago when he was a final-yearstudent, he heard about a project sending doctors to disadvantaged areas,including mountainous regions, border areas and islands. After nights agonisingover his decision, he decided to sign up after getting approval from hisrelatives.

Quyet was among the first seven doctorschosen to go to poor districts in northern Lao Cai, Son La, Bac Kan and DienBien provinces.

After being trained for two years as asurgeon, the 28-year-old was assigned to Bac Ha General Hospital in thenorthern mountainous province of Lao Cai in July this year.

Spanning 68,000sq.m, Bac Ha has a population of about 64,000 people, with ethnic minoritiesmaking up 85 percent of the population.

The district struggles to meet demand forhealth care in the area, with just 40 doctors working in the district, meaningon average 6.6 doctors care for every 10,000 residents. The difficult terrainmakes treatment even harder.

Nguyen Nhu Tuan, deputy director of Bac HaGeneral Hospital, said despite being located in a mountainous district, thehospital treated people from three districts, namely Bac Ha, Xin Man and Si MaCai. As a result, it was always packed with patients.

The surgery department, which he leads, isoften overloaded.

The department has 50 beds but there areonly two surgeons and because the other surgeon is on a training programme, hehad to work alone.

"There are days, I have to perform 4-6surgeries. I have to conduct one operation after the other despite the factthat I feel tired. My legs feel numb after standing for such a long time,” Tuantold online Vietnamplus newspaper.

Tuan said he believed that Quyet wouldshare his burden and help the department deal with cases that used to betransferred to central hospitals.

"The hospital has been equipped withmachines for endoscopic surgery for the past three years but they are rarelyused due to a lack of doctors. We’re sure that more surgeries will be conductedwith these facilities,” he said.

Nguyen Kim Phuong, director of thehospital, said despite being upgraded, the hospital was always short ofdoctors.

“This is the first time in a decade thehospital has received a young doctor to work,” he said, adding that he hopedthat Quyet could help the hospital use more advanced technology.

Recalling his first days at Bac HaHospital, Quyet said: “It rained all day and night in the first week, deepeningthe nostalgia in my mind. The change in working environment and the quiet in BacHa District also made me feel uneasy.”

Quyet said he barely left the hospital inthe first week. In the morning, he examined patients and conducted surgeries inthe afternoon. In the evening he wandered around patient’s rooms.

"As I live alone and I’m not used toeverything here, I went to patients’ rooms to chat with them to ease myloneliness and monitor their condition,” he said.

Before long he started feeling at home,with work keeping him busy all day with examinations and surgery, with anaverage day featuring up to four surgeries.

"I thought life would be slower in amountainous area. Unbelievably, time passes quickly at my pace of work.Everything seems to have happened so fast, but I’ve only been here two months,”he said.

Quyet said he would never forget the firstendoscopic surgery on Sung Seo Sau, a Mong ethnic person from Bac Ha district’sNam Mon commune.

At about 5:30pm, a staff member rushed tohis room announcing that a patient suffering appendicitis needed surgeryimmediately.

He saw the middle-aged man lying on bedwith his arms clutching his abdomen, with his mouth tightly shut as if he wastrying to withstand the pain. After examining the patient, Quyet operated onhim, finishing in about 40 minutes.

Sung Seo Ky’s, the patient’s son, said hewas surprised by the way the doctor performed the surgery.

"I have met some people withappendicitis but the way doctors conduct surgery for my father is unusual,” hesaid.

Others who had undergone the procedure wereleft with a long abdominal scar but miraculously, Sau was left with just threespots, Ky said.

Pham Van Tac, head of the Ministry ofHealth’s Organisation and Personnel Department, said the project sending youngdoctors to poor districts and island areas was approved by the Ministry ofHealth in March 2013.

It aims to help the needy access bettermedical services, reduce unnecessary transfers of patients to higher-levelhospitals and ease overloading at central hospitals.

Under the project, young doctors whoperform well in medical universities and volunteer to join will be chosen.

After being trained for two years in aspeciality, the male ones will be taken to districts hospital in poor areas forthree years, and female doctors for two years.

It is expected that between 300 and 500doctors will be sent to disadvantaged areas to help alleviate the shortage inhuman resources.-VNA