Dantri Newspaper, in collaboration with the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Chieng On Border Post, organised free health consultations for more than 300 residents in Yen Son Commune on February 7.
Residents received ultrasound scans, liver fibrosis measurement, ear-nose-throat endoscopy and free medication. Many elderly people from the Xinh Mun, Thai and Hmong ethnic groups arrived early despite the cold, queueing for hours for their turn.
Yen Son Commune has 901 poor and near-poor households and faces significant challenges due to limited infrastructure, including some villages without access to clean water.
Nguyen Tuan Anh, vice-chairman of the Yen Son Commune People’s Committee, said the programme was especially meaningful for ethnic minority communities who often struggle to reach higher-level medical facilities.
Doctors said difficult roads and long distances make medical access hard for border residents, while many patients fail to return for follow-up appointments after finishing medication, leaving conditions untreated.
During examinations, doctors detected serious cases, including an abnormal liver tumour about 10cm wide in an elderly man with long-term hepatitis B who had not received antiviral treatment. Doctors advised him to seek further specialist care.
One resident, Vi Van La, said he had assumed his abdominal pain was indigestion, especially as he did not drink alcohol. After examination, doctors diagnosed him with fatty liver disease and advised dietary changes, gentle exercise and further hospital check-ups.
At the end of the session, resident doctor Duong Thi Huong from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases said around 90 per cent of residents examined were found to have grade 2 or grade 3 fatty liver disease.
She said the main causes were a high-fat diet, nutritional imbalance and heavy alcohol consumption, with strenuous labour also contributing to metabolic disorders that progress silently.
Doctors also found other abdominal abnormalities, including uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, kidney stones and gallstones, warning that without early screening these conditions can lead to prolonged pain, infection and more serious complications.
Alongside health checks, Dantri also distributed 100 Tet gift packages worth VND 500,000 each to disadvantaged households, funded by reader donations, and provided each household with a warm blanket and 10 kilogrammes of rice.
The programme’s total estimated value, including medical services for more than 300 residents, was about VND 210 million (about USD 8,200), based on the cost of endoscopy, ultrasound and liver fibrosis measurement.
Dantri said the initiative was part of its ongoing community health consultation and Tet gift programme, aimed at improving access to basic healthcare in remote areas.
The Community Health Consultation and Tet Gift Giving Programme is a humanitarian activity implemented by Dantri Newspaper to help people in remote areas access primary healthcare.
Dan tri newspaper sincerely thanks its readers, philanthropists, Bach Mai Hospital, Hospital 19-8 (Ministry of Public Security), National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Duc Giang General Hospital, and Thanh Nhan Hospital for their persistent, dedicated companionship to many localities such as Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Tay Ninh, and others, to jointly care for the health of people in difficult areas.
In 2025, Dantri Newspaper collaborated with hospitals to organise 15 community health consultation programmes, helping thousands of people benefit from free medical services.
The free health consultation programme for over 300 residents of Yen Son Commune is the second community health consultation activity by Dantri Newspaper in 2026.