A Medicine’s Memorial Day of Vietnam: SAPUWA & Duc Thanh - A story of humane and compassionate

To feel sorry for children who were suffering from disease and cancer, they were occupied in the hospital where lacked of medicine and equipment (those patients were treating in the poor condition as lying on the floor, lacking of beds, and even some kids were lying in the corridor…). The treatment progress was a major concern (waited for a long line for treatment, X-ray, CT scan…) Mrs. Le Hai Lieu – CEO of Duc Thanh Wood Processing JSC., had discussed with her husband – Mr. Le Nhu Ai – CEO of Saigon Pure Water Private Factory (SAPUWA), who is also well known in social charity activities. Thus, we struggled and decided to do something for these little patients, to help them having a better condition.

With an agreement and support from her husband, Mrs. Lieu decided to spend her own money to improve and expand the size of treatment areas for helping these children. She met the hospital’s Board of Director and discussed about the possibility to help these patients. However, the cancer’s hospital center wasn’t having enough space to expand the area; thus, the discussion had come to an end.

Mrs. Lieu hadn’t stopped from there, she was frustrated to find the way out to help these children who were suffered for their lives, and she wanted to do something for them until it’s too late. In doing so, she had contacted to her friends, asked for their helps, looked for others to help her solve this problem. Eventually, one of her friends gave her brilliant idea was: instead of building a children’s treatment department inside the cancer center, she’d do the other way around which was building a cancer’s treatment department inside the Children’s hospital. And this friend helped her to meet the Board of Director of Children’s Hospital 2.

After listening to Mrs. Lieu presented her idea to them, the Board of Directors realized this idea was very useful and practical… thus, they decided to discuss in details. After hours of finding solution, they decided to transform the former Hematology’s Department into Cancer’s Treatment – Hematology Department. With a full agreement from the government and health service’s department, and a professional cooperation from the staffs, after five months of reform the Cancer’s Treatment – Hematology Department was established and opened for services in February 27th, 2011 in which was Medicine’s Memorial Days. This is the first and only hospital that has cancer’s treatment department in a children’s hospital.
 
The costs for build up, reform, improvement, modern equipment… were spent almost two billions. These expenses were sponsored by Mr. le Nhu Ai and Mrs. Le Hai Lieu. Besides these huge expenses, Mr. Ai gave hot and cold dispensers, especially sponsored free SAPUWA’s bottled water daily. Understanding the specifics of CT scan, these little patients usually feel hot and need big amount of water for their body, and it was quality and purified water, Mr. Ai has quietly been sponsoring water for them in many years.

Including 14 rooms with 80 beds, the Cancer’s Treatment – Hematology Department also has an emergency room, two treatment rooms, two operation rooms, and a playing room for these kids named “Play corner for children”... just to want to keep these kids and parents together mentally. The staffs are including seven doctors and 16 nurses well trained overseas.
 
The opening ceremony is at the Cancer’s Treatment – Hematology Department in Children’s Hospital 2.
Joining this opening ceremony, we’re proudly presented the appearance of government officials: Mr. Nguyen Van Dua, Ms. Than Thi Thu, Dr. Duong Quang Trung (former president of Health Service Department of HCM city), Dr. Tran Dong A (Vice President of Children’s Hospital 2), Mr. Tran Van Tuan, Ms. Dinh Thi Bach Mai, Ms. To Thi Kim Hoa, and etc. From the Child’s Hospital 2 presented Dr. Ha Manh Tuan, Dr. Truong Quang Dinh, and some other professional doctors. From the sponsor members had Mr. Le Nhu Ai’s and Le Hai Lieu’s families, and journalists and reporters.

           In the meaningful and warming place, Dr. Ha Manh Tuan – hospital’s president said: “Cancer’s Treatment – Hematology Department was established very meaningful, and practical. In Ho Chi Minh city, there were only two hospital for cancer’s treatment and hematology.
From the necessity of establishing the children’s cancer treatment, and the orientation of the hospital’s staffs, Mr. Le Nhu Ai and Mrs. Le Hai Lieu had done meaningful actions so that the children could have a better treatment area.

Developing treatment area for children is very new and uneasy. But with the decisive actions from the hospital’s Board of Directors and staffs, the fully support from the government, and especially the financial support from Mr. Ai and Mrs. Lieu in recent time, and in the future, these will promise a better treatment condition, friendly which met with slogan: “Friendly hospital as of your own home”.

Everything are drawing in a wonderful picture about love and humane.

 
Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan

SAPUWA Administraion and Organisation Dept.