A few months ago, the Naval Medical Institute collaborated with local authorities and its sister units to provide free health examination and medicines for people of the ethnic minority communities in Nam Ke commune. While examining patients, Senior Captain, Doctor Nguyen Hoang Luyen, Director of the Naval Medical Institute, discovered that Nhi had a congenital condition with an extra sixth finger on each hand.
    |
 |
|
Vang Thi Bich Nhi receives gifts from the Naval Medical Institute. |
Sr. Capt. Luyen learned that Nhi comes from a particularly difficult background. Her father passed away when she was just one-year-old, and her mother abandoned her a long time ago. She has been living with her grandparents in poor financial conditions. With the kind heart of the military doctors, the leadership of the Naval Medical Institute decided to perform the surgery on Nhi’s hands free of charge and provide transportation and accommodation costs for her caregiver while taking care of her at the institute.
Having learnt about the news from the representative of the Naval Medical Institute, Nhi’s grandfather was moved to tears. He thought that it was just a dream. Dong said, “The medical team of the Naval Medical Institute is excellent and very kind! My family is very grateful to the doctors.”
According to Capt. Luyen, at first, the institute wanted to perform simultaneous reconstructive surgery on both fingers on Nhi's hands, but at the family's request, doctors just operated on the sixth finger of her right hand. Since this finger was fused with the bone and tendons of her thumb, she found difficult to write and hold objects.
Senior Captain Pham Minh Triet, Political Commissar of the Naval Medical Institute, said that the operation was successful.
Head of the Department of Trauma and Orthopedics Senior Captain, doctor Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, who was assigned to perform the surgery, said that although all participating medical staff have rich experience in performing similar procedures, they were very cautious and thoroughly prepared in every aspect.
Thanks to that, the operation was successfully completed after 45 minutes. The doctors successfully performed the reconstructive surgery on Nhi's right hand, removing the deformity, reshaping, transferring tendons, and restoring function to her hand and fingers. After a short time, her health recovered, and she was discharged from the hospital amid the happiness of everyone.
In the sparkling eyes of the child was the noble image of the military doctors of the Naval Medical Institute. They are not only compassionate about but also carry a strong sense of responsibility towards the community. Their deeds have earned the trust and love from the people.
Translated by Tran Hoai