| The socio-political context in Vietnam
Geographically and historically the country of Viet Nam was divided in three main parts: Northern, Central, and Southern territory which covered a distance about over 1,200 km from North to South.
The political situation of the communist country began to open from 1988 by the policy called "doi moi &endash; new reform era". From that time Viet Nam has facing many big problems such as:
• Pollution and environmental issues
• Urbanization development without proper planning
• Health care concerning HIV-AIDS and drug addiction
• Bureaucracy leading ways to corruption and collusion
• Ethical and traditional values have been challenged to its roots
• Expansion gap between the rich and the poor
As southern catholic doctors, we cannot present the whole perspectives of our country due to the lack of official communication with the two other parts.
From 1975 to 1988, for getting the health care services, the patients had provided only a minimum charge to access to any public hospitals, but they could access only to the hospitals of their own provinces. After the "doi moi &endash; new reform era" those facilities won't be afforded any more to render such services due the limited funding of the government, and the patients have the possibility to access any hospital they want to. For this reason, there is an overflow of patients in the big cities.
Subsequently, starting 1999 some private clinics got licensed granted to operate in order to supplement the public needs but not under catholic identity. How catholic doctors handle their mission?
According to the teachings of Vatican Council II, "Faith living" has required people to practice into their daily life rather than to say or discuss it solely. Therefore, catholic doctors in Viet Nam have to perform their duties professionally and religiously based on their code of ethics. Moreover, they would embrace Christ's teachings to the utmost love and compassion towards their patients without any discrimination.
Unfortunately in our country, the catholic doctors would be considered as second class citizens or marginal employees in fulfilling their functions. So that they have to prove their talented skills to maintain their positions by showing off the diligent commitments serving all patients regardless of the clients' status. Only after "the new reform era", some catholic doctors deserve highly recognition to be promoted as chief or head of department because of their performance to the welfare of their compatriots. Catholic gynecologists have refused to carry on abortion either legal or illegal permissions following their moral conscience to their belief. Furthermore, those doctors have to spend their time to educate people who are deprived knowledge of their own responsibility towards their health care and its consequences. Catholic doctors will even go further steps to help single mothers to have an adopted family for their unwanted children rather than to commit an abortion at the public hospital. Similarly with other diseases such as HIV-AIDS or grave illness patients, always the catholic doctors are the volunteers doing their best to accompany them in the hospitals, to take care of them at home, even for the funeral work.
Obviously under this communist regime, everything required has to be controlled by governmental offices. Thus, catholic doctors won't be permitted to form any kind of official organization to promote their catholic professional identity comparing to other counterparts such as heart, pediatric, or surgery associations recognized legally in the nation. Consequently, any formation activities, on-going training, forum sessions of catholic doctors for exchanging of experiences of services, for sharing difficulties in their duty life...would not be accredited. This is valid not only in the medical field, but also in other areas such as education, and mass media. Challenges and accomplishments
As mentioned above, without any official catholic doctors organization:
• We cannot build our own network nationally (Northern, Central, Southern areas)
• We won't process any short, long term planning to serve our people's needs (education, training, etc)
• We'll lack the legitimate structure to connect internationally (By-laws, personnel, budget, projects)
However, as concerned catholic doctors, we strongly believe in the Holy Spirit works that help us to practice our Faith through charitable services in those circumstances even though we know that we are functioning illegally or in clandestine.
Hence, besides our daily work in the public hospitals, we get group support based on our regular meetings to define our objectives yearly or short-term activities. In 3 recent years, we have had 1-2 meetings every year at the bishop's house gathering doctors, nurses and other health workers, so that we continue to uphold our idealistic professional to lessen our countrymen 's sufferings.
Some of us are gathering twice a month to celebrate the Eucharist, offer faith-sharing groups, and render gratuitously our services to the needy in the remote or suburban areas.
There are also many volunteer groups, joining hands with other institutions to provide extra services to the needy people such as the disabled, ethnic minority in the high lands, or the senior citizens without adequate residences.
Besides, we try to cooperate with the local churches to provide such similar services to the needy free of charge once in a while depending on the availability of resources (doctors, nurses, medications, etc.)
Others are involved in training program as familial planning for the youth.
Consequently, what are our challenges facing this social situation of "new reform era"?
Almost young doctors who have been trained after 1975 in a communist medical university need a basic understanding of the moral, ethic principles of catholic faith to live their faith in the daily life. How can we help our new young doctors today to promote our catholic doctrine rather than communist ideology that propagate a materialistic life? How can catholic doctors enhance humanization through the relation doctor-patient, improve the quality of service, pay attention to the disabled?
So, how to motivate catholic doctors in this direction, how to sensitize young doctors to live with compassion and love in a society that the catholic doctors cannot get permission to have any structure, any appropriate training? Conclusion
If we consider (as Pr. Gian Luigi Gigli said in 2000 in Malaysia) that the Church is the largest health-care-organization in the whole world, wherever the church exists, catholic doctors still contribute to be witnesses of Christ in the service of His people.
So, Vietnamese catholic doctors are strongly believe in the works of the Holy Spirit who continues to guide us throughout those stages to become "salt, light, leaven" of life so that they will perform their duties as committed professionals without any legitimate recognition by this controlled regime.
We will maintain our small sharing groups to keep up our humble activities that partake in alleviating our compatriots' sufferings. We will make a strong effort to associate with the catholic doctors in the two other parts of the country.
Furthermore, we keep in touch with the local churches as well as with the regional churches in Asia to be in solidarity with our professional health care services. |
