In the medical field, there are people who have devoted all their hearts to treating patients and constantly developing their expertise to bring hope to patients. One of those typical examples is doctor Nguyen Van Lien, the Head of Department of Surgery No. 2, the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, who has been involved in cancer treatment since the early days of the hospital’s establishment.

Doctor Nguyen Van Lien, the Head of Department of Surgery No. 2, the Da Nang Oncology Hospital receives the ‘Shining White Blouse’ award in 2024

From a young age, doctor Nguyen Van Lien nurtured the dream of wearing a white blouse. Born into a farming family with difficult circumstances, the doctor did not allow material obstacles to stand in his way. It was the desire to help patients that motivated doctor Lien to constantly strive to study, overcome many challenges to realise her dream of becoming a doctor.

When the Da Nang Oncology Hospital was established, doctor Lien was present from the very first days. During more than a decade of working, doctor Lien has not only witnessed the development of the hospital but also made important contributions to the development of the Department of Surgery No. 2, which receives and treats thousands of patients with head, face and neck cancer.

Dedicated to the profession, devoted to the patient

As the Head of Department of Surgery No. 2, doctor Nguyen Van Lien not only performs treatment but also takes on the role of department management and coordinates activities to bring the highest efficiency in patient care. In particular, head, face and neck cancer surgeries are always a big challenge, requiring not only precise techniques but also reconstructive surgery to help patients maintain physiological functions and ensure aesthetics.

Each surgery usually lasts from 4 - 5 hours, even complicated cases up to 10 hours. During that time, doctor Lien and his team must concentrate highly and stand for hours to ensure that each operation is performed with the utmost precision. According to doctor Lien, oncology surgeons need to be careful, meticulous, absolutely precise and always keep a clear mind to handle any situation that may arise.

The number of patients is increasing, the work is getting more and more stressful, but doctor Lien always maintains a caring and gentle attitude. He is not only the person directly treating but also a spiritual support for patients, helping them have more faith and strength to fight the disease.

After nearly one week of hospitalisation at the Department of Surgery No. 2, sharing about doctor Lien, the person who directly performed the surgery on her, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Trinh residing in Nui Thanh District, Quang Nam Province said: “During the surgery, I was also very worried, but with the thoughtful encouragement from doctor Lien, my spirit was more comfortable and secure. After the surgery, my health is gradually recovering”.

Not only is doctor Lien good at her profession, he is also compassionate and devoted to her patients, especially those in difficult circumstances. Doctor Lien always cares and closely directs the social work network at the department to understand the circumstances and propose the social work team to provide timely support to disadvantaged and vulnerable patients. 

Continuously learning and improving expertise

For doctor Nguyen Van Lien, medicine is a field that is constantly developing, so a good doctor cannot stop but must always update his knowledge and improve his skills to bring the most optimal treatment methods to patients.

In recent years, under the direction of doctor Lien, the Department of Surgery No. 2 has successfully implemented many new techniques, opening up treatment opportunities for patients. The above-mentioned contributions have been recognised by the hospital such as extraordinary reward for the successful implementation of ‘Endoscopic surgery of the thyroid gland through the vestibular mouth’ (2024); extraordinary reward for the successful implementation of ‘Oral cancer surgery with defect reconstruction using radial forearm flap’ (2023); extraordinary reward for the successful implementation of ‘Oral floor cancer surgery with reconstruction using subungual myocutaneous flap’ (2020).

Despite the heavy workload and stress, doctor Lien always keeps a smile and cares for his patients, because he understands that the positive spirit of a doctor will give patients more strength on their journey to fight cancer. Each successful surgery, each patient returning to normal life is a great source of motivation to help doctor Lien have more joy and confidence on the path to saving patients.

With his tireless contributions, doctor Nguyen Van Lien was honoured to receive the ‘Shining White Blouse’ award in 2024 - a noble award recognizing the contributions of individuals working at public health units under the Da Nang Department of Health. For doctor Lien, this is not only a source of pride but also a motivation for him to constantly strive on the journey to take care of people’s health.

To the young generation who are about to take their first steps on the path of medicine, doctor Lien expressed: “To become a good doctor, talent and virtue must go together. A good doctor needs to have dreams, ambitions and dedication to the profession. A good doctor not only needs a cool head to handle unexpected situations but also a warm heart to understand the pain of the patient, always put the patient's interests first and constantly improve skills to bring them a chance to live, see the patient as their own relatives”.

More than a decade of taking care of the health of cancer patients, with a compassionate heart and deep love for the profession, doctor Lien is one of the prides of the highly specialized, caring and attentive medical team for the patients of the Da Nang Oncology Hospital in particular, and the Da Nang health sector in general.

Reporting by THU DUYEN, THAI HUYEN - Translating by A.THU