Penniless mother with kidney failure forced to halt treatment

Nguyen Thi Thu, from Long Huu Commune in Tay Ninh Province, is being treated at Nguyen Trai Hospital for complications from type 2 diabetes that have progressed to end stage kidney failure.

Lying in her hospital bed, Thu said she had asked to be discharged because her family could no longer afford medical expenses. Doctors, however, told her that without dialysis she would be unable to survive.

"I asked to leave the hospital because I can't pay for treatment, but the doctors said my kidney disease has reached its final stage and I need dialysis to stay alive," she said through tears.

More than three years ago, the skin on her right foot began peeling away before two toes became swollen, cracked and eventually developed gangrene. Medical examinations at a local health centre revealed that she had type 2 diabetes.

She was later transferred to People's Hospital 115, where surgeons amputated three toes to remove infected tissue.

Despite the surgery, the wound became infected again. She was referred from the Can Duoc Regional Medical Centre to Nguyen Trai Hospital, where doctors carried out further surgery to treat the infection.

During her hospital stay, doctors confirmed that diabetes had caused irreversible kidney damage. She now requires haemodialysis three times a week for the rest of her life.

"I struggle to afford even my daily meals and rely on free charity meals at the hospital. Soon I won't be able to pay my accommodation costs here, let alone the surgery to create dialysis access and the treatment itself. I had some savings, but they have all been spent on treating my diabetes. I feel completely hopeless," she said.

Thu lives with her husband and two daughters. Her younger daughter is in Year 3 at primary school, while her 15 year old eldest daughter has left school to help care for the family.

The family lives with Thu's 68 year old mother, who was born deaf and unable to speak. Since Thu became seriously ill, the family's financial situation has deteriorated sharply.

Her mother in law is also bedridden after suffering a stroke. Her husband works as a carpenter, earning just over VND 300,000 (approximately USD 11.50) a day, an income that is insufficient to cover living expenses, the children's education and mounting medical bills.

"I've become a heavy burden on my husband and children. I can't work or help support my family anymore, and that makes me very sad. The doctors say this is a chronic illness and I'll need lifelong treatment. The costs are overwhelming, but I don't know where the money will come from. I just want to live long enough to see my daughters grow up," she said.

Doctors at Nguyen Trai Hospital said Thu had been admitted on May 21 with a severe infection in her right foot following the earlier toe amputations, and that her wounds were proving difficult to heal.

They confirmed that she is awaiting surgery to create vascular access for dialysis.

"Kidney failure is a chronic disease requiring lifelong treatment. The costs extend beyond dialysis itself to include the expenses of family members caring for the patient," a doctor at the hospital said.

Nguyen Minh Toan, chairman of the Long Huu Commune People's Committee in Tay Ninh Province, said Thu's family was facing extreme hardship.

He said local authorities recently raised VND 5 million (approximately USD 191) to help cover her hospital fees after learning she had planned to leave hospital because she could not afford treatment.

"She will need long term medical care, while her family is in extremely difficult circumstances and the local budget is limited. We hope kind hearted readers will help her continue receiving the treatment she needs to stay alive," Toan said.