Professor Nguyen Quang Tuan: "Fall down, stand up again"

Professor Nguyen Quang Tuan, 57 years old, a leading expert in cardiovascular diseases, former director of Hanoi Heart Hospital, former director of Bach Mai Hospital, began practicing medicine at Friendship Hospital on July 1. He has just completed a 3-year prison term for violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences, related to the case of raising the price of medical supplies causing a loss of more than 53 billion VND during his time as director of the heart hospital.

He was stripped of his medical certificate and not banned from practicing medicine after serving his sentence, because his crime was not related to his profession but to his management work.

- How do you feel about returning to the hospital as a practicing physician?

- Coming back here feels like coming home. This is an environment I have known for a long time, when I was a treating physician at Bach Mai Hospital, I came here for consultations. After that, I supported my colleagues in cardiovascular interventions, consulting on difficult cases. Therefore, when I came back here, the students welcomed me very enthusiastically, the teacher-student relationship is still the same as before.

Yesterday, when the press reported that I was returning to practice medicine, I was happy because people welcomed me, but also worried. I wanted to have more time to focus on studying, working, researching, and treating patients better. Many colleagues texted me because they read the news and found out that I was returning to society and continuing my career.

- What is your daily work at the hospital?

- According to regulations, a practicing doctor must have 12 months of working experience in a specialized or general hospital at the provincial or central level. However, every day I still consult with patients, go to the ward with my colleagues to see and consult on difficult cases. I also advise them on how to handle and intervene to have the best treatment strategy for the patient.

I have not held a scalpel again, because surgery or signing medical prescriptions can only be performed after obtaining a practice license.

- How did you feel when you examined your first patient?

- The first patient I came into contact with happened to be an old patient, 86 years old, in Dong Da, Hanoi. She had cardiovascular disease, 20 years ago I had placed a stent for her at Bach Mai Hospital. When I entered the room to examine her, the old woman saw me and hugged me, saying "20 years ago you saved me, now you save me again".

I can't describe my feelings at that time, I just felt happy that my patients still recognized, welcomed and thanked me.

- What made you decide to return to medicine after the incident?

- I am a doctor, of course I will work in the medical profession, treating and saving people. Life may have its ups and downs, but where you fall, you get up from there. The most important thing is that we still have the ability, intelligence, knowledge, and health to contribute to society and to patients. This is the happiness of all doctors, not just me.

My family, relatives and colleagues also encouraged me to return to the profession. I am an adult, there are external influences, but my own decision is more important. I have never had the idea of ​​quitting the profession, the two words "doctor" are in my blood, not something I want.

Becoming a practicing physician after 30 years of practice is truly unprecedented. Few people who have experienced the same thing as me return to work, or they avoid practicing for 12 months to move into management because management is not required to have a license to practice. But in fact, being able to directly examine and treat patients is the desire of all doctors.

Returning to a management position does not require practice, but to directly examine, treat, and operate on patients, a license to practice is required. Friendship Hospital is a good learning environment, fully equipped, especially the patients are mostly retired officials, the cases are extremely difficult, elderly, and have many illnesses. I can further improve my knowledge and experience in my profession.

- How are a practicing doctor and a practicing professor different?

- During my internship at Friendship Hospital, I was guided by a student, she is a doctor specializing in cardiology. However, instead of calling her teacher, she called me teacher.

People may think that my "studying" is humiliating, but it is not, everyone has to study, study forever. When I was the director of Bach Mai Hospital, the principal of the medical college, I still studied every day. I never felt ashamed to study. Studying warms the body.

- How have you spent the past 3 years?

- I went through it like a person who deserved it and I finished to return. All my mistakes, I paid the price, now I am back to being a normal citizen. I still have full health, knowledge, and ability to examine and save people.

I miss my job terribly, in my dreams. In the past 12 months, I have re-read all the documents, updated my knowledge. People, family sent me books, they were censored, then I read and studied them. I wrote a new book series calledWisdom in lifestyle - Secrets to preventing non-communicable diseases. The content is about diet, exercise, daily activities, habits, how to adjust better to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes. These are diseases that have increased a lot in recent years, causing consequences for health, economy, and society.

While serving my sentence, I still had the opportunity to work. In prison, there were patients who needed medical support and support from experienced specialists. With my knowledge and experience, I advised doctors and assisted in examining patients and prison staff.

After going through this, the important thing is to let go. But let go of the outer glory, but the core of myself as a doctor and teacher, I cannot let go. I always wish to return to work soon, as long as I still have the strength, I will continue to do it.

- After a year of practicing medicine at Friendship Hospital, what do you plan to do next?

- I want to study and complete my book series at the same time. This is my personal gift to the people, to those who want to learn about a healthy lifestyle to protect their health, against non-communicable diseases.

Returning to society, I have to start over, will continue to treat and save people. In the future, I will apply to a university to do teaching work.

People can take everything away but my expertise and knowledge will not be lost. This time I want to help more patients and support my students.

- What about management?

- Public management is difficult, but many places have invited me to do private management but I have not accepted yet. Because I want to focus on studying in these 12 months to get a license to practice, then I will have further plans.

Many people say that doctors with good expertise should not participate in management. In my opinion, to be a good manager, one must understand the expertise and have prestige in the expertise to explain it to colleagues. Managers without expertise will not understand the thoughts of doctors and nurses, and will not have the expertise to make valuable decisions in treating patients, or to orient the development of the hospital according to the changing disease model over time.

- What do you want to say to your colleagues and yourself after the life event?

- After the recent incident, I still think that the sacred oath of doctors never changes, never harm patients, must save patients at all costs no matter how high the price is.

Overcome your own feelings of inferiority to master your life. I have never been inferior. I was not born to be inferior, and even in my worst moments, I was not inferior, and I did not lose myself. Whatever I encounter may be fate or an accident, but I know who I am and what I am doing.

In my case, there are some colleagues who are in trouble with the law, some are old and retired, some are young. I hope that they can overcome their inferiority complex, self-esteem, and social distance to return to life. You should overcome it, be confident, strong, and determined.