It has been two years since the young doctor, Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, began his volunteer work in Mường Nhé district, Dien Bien province.

Three months have passed but Hieu still can recall the night he and his college were faced with an emergency case for a patient who had attempted to commit suicide. The patient’s heavy blood loss caused them to panic, acting as fast as possible without using gloves. They weren’t to find out until later that the patient was carrying HIV/AIDS.

After finding out the devastating news that he was exposed to HIV, Hieu then went on to have bad reactions to the precautionary antiretroviral treatment. The doctor had all but thought to give up on his profession… After three months of treatment, Hiếu was tested negative to the virus. He decided to stay longer to take care of and raise locals’ awareness of healthcare.-VNA