Retired health workers join the fight against COVID-19

HCM CITY — Medical staff in Ward 11, District 5, HCM City, have been busy examining and testing COVID-19 patients.

However, they often receive help from colleagues, especially retired medical staff.

At the age of 61, Trần Thị Quyền Trinh, a retired midwife, and retired doctor Ngô Thị Thảnh, 57, are still willing to go back to work at the ward’s health station, joining local COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

“I will still work here when they need me and will quit when they find a new midwife,” Trinh told Pháp Luật (Law) newspaper.

Over the years, Trinh has advised many couples intending to have children.

She remembered a couple who asked her for advice when the foetus was predicted to be deformed.

Trinh advised them to do more tests at another hospital to make the right decision.

The second examination and test brought them joy when the foetus was said to be developing normally.

“That child is now 10 years old. Every time they see me, the couple often say that they got this baby thanks to my advice,” Trinh said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in HCM City, many people got sick and died because the vaccination rate was not high.

Participating in the fight against the pandemic means the medical worker faced many dangers, but she was ready to take part in the fight.

She bravely became a soldier collecting samples, tracing contacts, providing emergency aid for F0 cases and helping more people to get vaccinated.

Her biggest concern at that time was not her own safety. Her husband had cancer and he was at high risk if he contracted COVID-19. 

Fortunately, her husband, a former health worker, supported her because he understood his wife’s concerns.

“The medical staff were exhausted because of the heavy workload and the people needed me, so I wanted to contribute my efforts to combat the pandemic,” Trinh said and expressed no regrets about her choice.

For Thảnh, the former head of ward 11’s health station, the days of social distancing and the city being engulfed in the pandemic are days she will never forget.

In June 2021, her family of 10 had to be quarantined in a concentrated site because one family member was positive for COVID-19.

During the days in the isolation ward, she witnessed the hardships of her colleagues and wished to stand side by side with the medical force to participate in activities against the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, after completing the isolation, she was busy taking care of sick family members.

In November 2021, she returned to work at the ward’s health station. 

She has helped the station connect and persuade people to cooperate in testing, isolation and vaccination. 

“They have worked at the station for many years and always received the trust and love of the local people. Their love of the job and enthusiasm motivated other staff at the health station,” said Phạm Hoàng Phước, head of ward 11’s health station. — VnExpress News