Zero-cost clinic in a coffee shop in Hanoi

Salvation of the poor

On a Saturday morning, the "Dream Street" coffee shop (No. 54, Alley 82/15, Yen Lang, Hanoi) is bustling with people coming in and out. They are people coming for free medical examination and treatment. The space of the shop is more than 40m2 with 2 floors neatly arranged, the first floor welcomes patients, provides general examination and dispenses free medicine. The second floor is reserved for medical examination with full equipment.

A free medical examination by the Volunteer Doctors Association at the "Dream Street" cafe.

At 7:30, the team of doctors, both old and young, and volunteers from medical schools were ready. Most of the patients who came here were elderly people, with common diseases of old age such as: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, cataracts, respiratory infections, ear, nose and throat infections, bone and joint pain, etc.

Cherishing many volunteer activities to take care of community health, sharing difficulties with the motto "the healthy leaves cover the torn leaves", the "Joining hands for community health" programs of the Volunteer Doctors Association regularly come to people in difficult localities.

Since 2016, the Association has organized humanitarian medical examinations and provided free medicine for tens of thousands of people who are policy beneficiaries, ethnic minorities, and people in remote and isolated areas; and given thousands of gifts to poor and near-poor households and policy families.

Ms. Dang Thi Loc (57 years old, residing in Xuan Truong, Nam Dinh) was one of the earliest patients to arrive. After more than an hour of doing all the blood tests, ultrasound, endoscopy and eye examination... she was absent-mindedly holding in her hand a bag of medicine that was given for free, along with the instructions "need to go to the hospital for a thorough examination of the thyroid gland and liver and kidney function".

Ms. Loc said that her hometown is Nam Dinh, but for more than ten years now, she and many friends have been coming to Hanoi to trade scrap metal, or to do whatever they are hired to do. A few sisters rented a small house to stay overnight, and in the morning, each person went their separate ways. For nearly a week, she felt tired and had a sore throat, so she came here.

"The doctors examined me very carefully. They said I had a large thyroid tumor that was pressing on my vocal cords, causing hoarseness and difficulty breathing," said Ms. Loc, adding that this was the second time she had come to this clinic.

By chance, one day when she was buying scrap, she passed by and saw a lot of people so she was curious and asked about the place, and learned that it specialized in free medical examinations. A few days later, she went to the clinic when she noticed abnormalities in her body. Here, she was diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency due to corticoids. She was referred to an endocrinologist at Bach Mai Hospital, and the disease was later cured.

"The income from being a scrap collector is not much, so I don't dare spend money to go to the doctor. That's why I'm very grateful to the doctors here," Ms. Loc shared.

Familiar address to many patients

At the age of 83, Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen (residing in Thai Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi) has aching limbs, slow walking, high and low blood pressure, and blurred vision due to cataracts. Every few weeks, she goes to the clinic for a health check-up and receives free medication.

Volunteer Doctors Association provides free dental, jaw, and face examinations at "Dream Street" cafe.

"I live alone, my children live far away, no one can take me to the hospital. There are doctors here, I can go by myself, and it's free, so I feel secure," said Ms. Yen. When she came to the clinic, she was supported attentively by volunteers, and the doctors gave her detailed advice on the use of medicines and how to take care of her body and prevent seasonal diseases.

Having chronic pharyngitis and thyroiditis, coupled with the changing weather, Ms. Pham Ngoc Lan (living in Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) constantly coughed and had a sore throat. Taking advantage of Saturday morning, she stopped by the clinic in the coffee shop.

"Before, whenever I had a sore throat, I would go to the pharmacy to buy antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs to take, but I never went to the doctor because waiting in the hospital was tiring. Since I found out about the clinic, I have been visiting regularly. Many times, I only need the doctor's advice to change my living habits, without needing to take medicine to get well," said Ms. Lan.

With 7 years of providing free medical examinations and medicine, the clinic of the Hanoi Volunteer Doctors Association has seen thousands of medical examinations and hundreds of patients receive health care right in the community.

Spread the love

For the past 3 years, technician Dang Thi Phuong (working at 108 Central Military Hospital, specializing in Anesthesia and Resuscitation) has always tried to arrange to be present at the volunteer clinic every Saturday morning.

Most of the patients who come for free medical examination at the "Dream Street" cafe are elderly people.

"The job is suitable for my expertise and helps many people, so I am very willing because I see the meaning. Coming here, I also get to meet and interact with colleagues from many other specialties, which is very useful," Ms. Phuong shared.

Another member is Dr. Dang Vu Quoc Cuong, Saigon Nam Dinh General Hospital. Regardless of the long distance, he arranges to go to Hanoi every week and arrives very early.

"With our expertise, we try to screen and detect diseases early so that we can provide timely advice and recommend that patients seek specialist treatment early. We hope that information about these free examinations will spread to more disadvantaged workers."

Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh, Head of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, 108 Central Military Hospital, President of the Hanoi Volunteer Doctors Association, shared that since he was a student and participated in volunteer work, he could not bear the difficult circumstances, struggling to make ends meet all year round, never having a single medical examination or health care, and not having money to buy medicine when sick.

Having nurtured the plan for a long time, in 2016, Dr. Tuan Anh established the Hanoi Volunteer Doctors Association, gathering doctors and pharmacists who are working or retired. In addition, the Association also attracted the participation of a large number of volunteers who are medical and pharmaceutical university students and many people working in many different professions.

Opening the "Dream Street" coffee shop is one of the projects of the Association. All the money from the shop is used to raise funds for medical examination and to help people in difficult circumstances. To have more funds, each member voluntarily contributes and calls for sponsors to support.

Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh said that the charity clinic's activities are licensed by the Hanoi Department of Health, and the doctors participating in the examination and treatment all have certificates and professional degrees.

In addition to support and sponsorship from members of the Volunteer Doctors Association, individuals and volunteer groups, and money from the "Dream Street" coffee shop, the fund's revenue also comes from other projects such as the "Dream Street Old Goods" project, which collects donations from the community of old products that are still usable and are for sale.

In addition, many community-oriented projects have also been implemented, such as the "Dream of Book Street" project, mobilizing books to donate to children in mountainous areas; "Dream of Education Street" with the opening of free first aid and accident prevention training classes for adolescents...

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/phong-kham-0-dong-trong-quan-ca-phe-o-ha-noi-192240503091000884.htm