Working quietly and under a lot of pressure, the doctors at the medical station in Hai Duong still work tirelessly and make efforts to protect and provide primary health care for the people.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Then, born in 1971, has been working at Tan Phong Commune Health Station (Ninh Giang) for 36 years. That time is enough for Doctor Then to deeply understand and contemplate the joys and sorrows of the profession at the grassroots health care level.

To become a doctor, Ms. Then had to go through a difficult and arduous process of both studying and working. From a midwife to an obstetrician and then studying at Hai Phong Medical University, Ms. Then became a general practitioner at the age of over 40. Looking back on her journey of persistently sticking with the medical profession, Dr. Then cannot help but feel proud. She said that now the medical network is developing, people have more good options for health care. However, this does not mean that people working at medical stations are more leisurely. The recent Covid-19 pandemic is the clearest proof of the role and importance of primary health care.

Tan Phong Commune is the first locality to have an outbreak of Covid-19 in Ninh Giang District. As the station chief, Dr. Then and his colleagues at the station struggled to fight the epidemic. There were times when they could not sleep for 3 consecutive days, there were times when they were confused, but the courage of a doctor did not allow them to give up. The pandemic passed and preventive medicine at the grassroots level was tightened.

Tan Phong is a densely populated area, so the work of checking, counting, calculating the population, then propagating, mobilizing, and implementing vaccination is also more difficult and complicated. "It's not just expanded vaccination, there's also population work, reproductive health care, non-communicable disease management, environmental sanitation... There are many tasks that the station only has 7 people, so even doctors and station chiefs have to roll up their sleeves and rush to do them," Dr. Then said with a smile.

Dr. Then has many memories of her career. Each memory is memorable and precious. When she was a midwife and obstetrician, there were days when Ms. Then had to deliver 4-5 babies, although she was tired but happy. Or when she became a doctor, she also had to deal with many situations that were both funny and sad when drunk patients cursed and screamed, or tense, dangerous situations when patients showed unusual symptoms, or children had anaphylactic shock after vaccination.

Then the 24-hour shifts for the female doctor became more tiring. Recently, when there was a policy of digital transformation in healthcare, despite her age, Ms. Then still proactively adapted to facilitate management. "What I am most proud of is that I have passed on my love for the profession to my children. Currently, both of my daughters are pursuing a career in medicine," Ms. Then proudly boasted.

As a young doctor working at the grassroots level, Mr. Hoang Van Tu, born in 1991, Head of Lai Cach Town Health Station (Cam Giang) still has many doubts and concerns. Previously, Mr. Tu worked at Cam Van Commune Health Station, when he was transferred to the town, although they were at the same level, he also clearly saw the difference.

Lai Cach town has developed, with many private clinics, so people have more choices. Therefore, the doctors' professional skills are somewhat more limited. However, the town's population is twice as large as the commune's, so preventive medicine, non-communicable disease management, population work, etc. are also more stressful and difficult.

Doctor Tu has been working at Lai Cach Town Health Station for more than 8 years. The station's infrastructure has just been invested in and upgraded, making it spacious and clean. Every day, Mr. Tu is responsible for examining the health of the people. Although the number of people coming to the service is very small, sometimes the doctor himself feels sad, but Mr. Tu is always cheerful and diligent in his work.

“The work of a doctor is unique. Even though you study and acquire a lot of new knowledge and techniques, if you have little opportunity to practice, your skills will easily become dull. However, doctors at health stations do not feel disadvantaged because of that. No matter what level or facility, the task of caring for and protecting people's health must always be put first,” Dr. Tu firmly said.

With a lot of enthusiasm, Dr. Tu hopes that the medical station will receive more attention to promote the role of the line closest to the people. Here, people will be screened, health problems will be detected early so that effective and timely treatment measures can be taken. From there, the pressure on medical examination and treatment for the upper level will be reduced.

Even though it was the weekend, Tien Dong Commune Health Station (Tu Ky) was still busy and bustling. To meet the medical examination and treatment needs of the people, the station arranged its staff as usual.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Bien Thuy (born in 1982) is always busy examining and monitoring patients who need IVs. Occasionally, Ms. Thuy sits at her desk to look up and check data to assess the situation and developments of infectious diseases occurring in the area. Although her work is busy, her face is always cheerful. Therefore, Ms. Thuy is loved and trusted by the people. Not only people in the commune but also people from neighboring localities come to Tien Dong Commune Health Station for examination and treatment.

Tien Dong Commune Health Station is quite far from the center, the headquarters was built in 1976 so it is old and cramped. However, that does not mean that the station is sparsely populated. Doctor Thuy shared: "Because it is far away, the health station must be more attentive and dedicated so that people do not have to travel too much."

Although the facilities are still modest, the professional activities at Tien Dong Commune Health Station are very effective. Every month, the station provides health insurance examination and treatment for more than 500 patients and service examinations for 200 - 300 patients. In addition, the examination and treatment of oriental medicine at the station is effectively implemented. While not all health stations in the province can do this. This result is the result of the efforts of the leaders and staff of Tien Dong Commune Health Station as well as the tireless efforts of Dr. Thuy, who holds the position of station head.

In the story of her career that Dr. Thuy passionately tells, perhaps her desire is what everyone admires and loves. Dr. Thuy's career is not short, but her time of striving is still long. However, Dr. Thuy only wishes to continue her studies and does not want to move to a higher level. "Although I know that there will be many opportunities at a higher level, I just want to stay with the facility. Providing primary health care for people has always been my wish and passion," Dr. Thuy shared.

At the grassroots level, closest to the people, doctors at health stations not only perform medical examination and treatment tasks but also oversee and take on tasks related to preventive medicine, environmental sanitation, food, and health care for the elderly...

The workload is heavy but they are not afraid or discouraged. Although somewhere there are still comments, incomplete views, and somewhat undeserved views about health stations and doctors working at the stations, the role of primary health care is undeniable and needs more attention.

Ms. Doan Thi Loc, 69 years old, in Quan Loc village, Tien Dong commune (Tu Ky) often goes to Tien Dong commune health station for check-ups. She said that she is old and has many underlying diseases, so she has to closely monitor her health. However, her children and grandchildren do not always have time to take her to the hospital. Therefore, she often takes the initiative to go to the health station for examination and treatment. Many times, Ms. Loc feels secure and trusts the doctors and staff at the station. Ms. Loc firmly said: "I always put my trust in the doctors and staff at the commune health station. It is not necessary to go to a higher level to receive good care and service."

Hai Duong currently has 207 commune, ward and town health stations with the rate of doctors working at the stations reaching nearly 97%, higher than the national average. The high rate is due to the province merging commune-level administrative units, implementing appropriate remuneration policies for doctors working at the grassroots level and rotating doctors at higher levels.

Dr. Tran Quang Canh, Director of the Department of Health, affirmed that doctors at health stations play an important role in providing primary health care to the people. The province has paid due attention and encouragement to the team of doctors working at health stations by issuing policies, support mechanisms and incentives. At the same time, priority is given to investing in infrastructure for health stations, creating favorable conditions and environments for doctors at the grassroots level to develop their expertise. Thereby, contributing to improving the capacity of grassroots health care.

In the coming time, when the disease model changes a lot and the aging population increases, the role of primary health care as well as doctors working at health stations will be increasingly emphasized. However, regardless of their position or task, the white-shirt soldiers who are always dedicated to the health and lives of the people deserve to be honored and praised.

Perform:NGUYEN MO

Presentation, photos:TUAN ANH