VietNamNet Bridge – Patient care at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in central Quang Nam Province has improved greatly.

Doctor Tran Ngoc Phap always pays attention to the application of modern therapy in treatment for patients suffering from TB at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital.

The amount of people infected with tuberculosis (TB) has halved in the past twelve years.

And many people believe this is because of the hard work and dedication of director Dr Tran Ngoc Phap who has improved all round quality at the medical centre.

Hailing from a family with a tradition of practicing herbal medicine, Phap loves to heal people.

When he passed the entrance exam to Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the selection of specialising in tuberculosis (TB) came to him by accident. Since then he brought all his enthusiasm to research prevention, treatment and disease control.

After graduating from university in 1981, Phap worked at the Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Centre in the old Quang Nam-Da Nang Province. Then in 1997 he was appointed as head of Quang Nam Province’s Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Station.

At the time, the station had only nine doctors and nurses and had to use a room at Quang Nam Province General Hospital as temporarily working office, he recalled.

Equipment was in short supply and outdated. There were also issues educating people about the dangers of TB due to the mountainous terrain of the region.

But Phap and his staff overcame these hurdles and managed to treat hundreds of patients in the province.

Since the Quang Nam Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Hospital (now Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in Quang Nam) opened in 2004, under the leadership of Phap, the hospital has made great progress.

The hospital was named after Pham Ngoc Thach, the founder and first director of the Viet Nam Tuberculosis Institute.

He was not only a great example of medical ethics, but he was also one of the first doctors to specilise in TB in Vietnam.

"Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach is also a member of the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Tuberculosis Association. He has made great contributions setting up a specialised department for TB and lung disease,” Phap said, adding that the name of the hospital reminded staff members to follow Thach’s example.

Doctor Tran Ngoc Phap consoles a patient who is undergoing treatment at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital. — VNA/VNS Photoa Do Truong

As the head of the hospital, he also carried the same spirit, devoting all of his energy to find the best treatment for patients.

With capital from the State’s investment and exchanging for participating in international projects over the past, the hospital received modern equipment and technology. The improved infrastructure ensured a higher quality of care.

“Previously, patients with multi drug-resistant tuberculosis have to go to specialised hospitals in Hanoi or HCM City for testing. But now Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital can perform these tests. Patients have only to wait two hours to know the results,” Phap said.

The application of modern health facilities has helped reduce the treatment time, he said.

Patients suffering from tuberculosis saw treatment time drop dramatically, in some cause by almost a year.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, chairman of the provincial health sector’s Trade Union said because of the efforts from Phap and other staff members, the number of TB-infected people in the province has declined remarkably.

In 2012, Government, granted him the title “Excellent Doctor” in recognition of his contribution.

Phap received the Pham Ngoc Thach Prize in 2015 which honours prominent medical workers who have made remarkable achievement in their fields and made efforts to have practical initiative as well as actively volunteering in the community.

Although he was busy, Phap, 59, still finds time to pursue his passion, music.

He sees it as an escape route away from the job he does. Not only is he the chairman of Quang Nam Province’s classic guitar club, he is also self-taught.

And he believes listening to music not only helps him relax, but can also help the patients he treats. 

Source: VNS