Left, Right, Left, Right… March

It has been a couple of crazy, busy days here in
Hanoi. Monday started with a meeting with Toan, the Director of VNAH (Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped). He gave us our marching orders – convince the Ministry of Health to expand OT and SLP services to benefit millions of Vietnamese people over millions of years. And, in reality we learned that this is a complicated, difficult process.

Following our meeting, we were taken to visit the National Pediatrics Hospital, National Rehabilitation Centre and National Geriatric Hospital. Not 50 steps into our first stop, the 1800 bed National Pediatric Hospital, I turned to Dee and said that my mind was blown. There was such a mass of humanity in the place. I couldn’t even think of a comparator. The next morning Dee said that it was like Union Station at rush hour and that’s probably the best comparator we can think of. There were people everywhere… when the elevator arrived, a wall of humanity pressed forward. Invariably, someone got stuck in the doors and either squashed in or popped out. Then, like a swarm of bees, they would move to the next elevator.

At each hospital the head of the Rehabilitation Department would meet us and tour us around. We were impressed by how kind and dedicated all the staff were. Rehab services remain so limited in this country. Each doctor would explain their concerns and ask for any help we could offer. For example, the 1800 bed pediatric hospital has a staff of 2 OTs and 2 SLPs. They run 100 patients through the clinic per week, seeing about 8 to 10 patients per staff per day. The government has only approved a few services per discipline. For example at one hospital there were only 3 approved SLP “techniques“ and 5 approved “techniques” for OT. A speech technique might be practising swallowing and an OT technique practising fine motor skills.

The Head Doctor at the Geriatric Hospital said she was thrilled to have international rehabilitation experts from McMaster University providing assistance and I thought it was odd that I wasn’t aware another Mac OT staff was coming over. Dee had to point out to me that she meant us! That stunned me into silence.

Just to make you all feel better about our hospitals, the geriatric hospital had 18 patients (and family) all sleeping in 1 room and this was both men and women all happily snoring away…

Monday ended with Toan taking us out to Cha Ca restaurant. No menu – no need as they only serve cha ca. Hope you like cha ca (cha = chopped; ca = fish). We did – it was delicious!