73-year-old man in Hai Duong spends 30 years saving people on highway
For over 30 years, Nguyen Ngoc Tuy and his team of volunteer first aiders have helped and saved people on National Highway 5 in Hai Duong province.
Nguyen Ngoc Tuy, from Tuan Viet commune, Kim Thanh district, Hai Duong province, is the leader of the first aid team for the highway, which sadly experiences frequent crashes.
Despite being in his seventies, Tuy remains strong and active.
Reflecting on his journey, he said that in the late 1980s, his family moved to an area along National Highway 5, where they set up a small beverage stall.
From the stall, Tuy often witnessed traffic accidents in the area and would on some days see two or three incidents.
As an ordinary person without first aid skills, he felt deep sympathy seeing victims lying injured on the road but lacked the skills to help.
“All I could do was call for emergency services and wait for medical personnel to arrive. However, ambulances could not always respond promptly to every situation,” Tuy said.
“The wait time, often referred to as the golden hour for saving lives and reducing injuries, could be critical,” he said.
To make matters worse, some accidents drew bystanders who merely gathered to watch, pointing and gossiping without offering assistance. Some unscrupulous individuals even took advantage of the chaos to steal from victims.
These occurrences left Tuy both upset and heartbroken.
In 1992, Tuy began studying at home and learning basic first aid techniques. Soon after, he started providing first aid to accident victims in his area. From then on, any time he heard about an accident nearby, Tuy would drop whatever he was doing and rush to the scene, day or night.
His efforts did not go unnoticed.
In 1999, the Kim Thanh district Red Cross established a first aid station at Tuy’s home and he was selected to attend an official medical training course.
In 2006, the Hai Duong provincial Red Cross co-ordinated a project to enhance traffic accident first aid skills along National Highway 5 and Tuy was chosen for advanced training as part of this initiative.
Recognising the need to expand the first aid network, in 2008, he recruited five motorbike taxi drivers living near the highway. With time, his efforts grew and he formed a 12-member volunteer first aid team, taking on the role of team leader.
Tuy personally trained the members, ensuring they were equipped with first aid skills, uniforms and assigned territories and shifts to respond to incidents swiftly.
“We volunteer for this work without expecting any rewards. Living near the highway, we cannot stand by when we see accident victims in pain and distress. We feel compelled to help them,” said the 70-year-old.
Nguyen Van Muon, a team member from Tan Hung village echoed Tuy’s sentiments.
“Initially, we just helped out whenever accidents happened near our homes. Gradually, we connected with others doing the same work to share experiences,” Muon said.
“Over time, it became a habit. Day or night, rain or shine, even kilometres away, people now call us whenever there's an accident on the highway,” he said.
For over 30 years, the volunteer first aid team in Tuan Viet commune has helped thousands of accident victims on National Highway 5.
“We hope our work becomes less necessary as we dream of a day when traffic accidents no longer occur and everyone travels safe,” Muôn said.
Using personal resources to help others
Tuy’s first aid kit contains essential items like splints, gauze and medical bandages.
“These are all tools I purchased myself to assist accident victims. There was a time when my wife and I had to sell 200kg of rice just to buy medical supplies,” Tuy said.
In 2018, due to new requirements that first aid responders hold medical certificates, the team temporarily ceased operations for two years. However, two years later, the Hai Duong provincial Red Cross re-organised the first aid team and Tuy rejoined.
“I’ll keep doing this work as long as my health allows,” he affirmed.
Beyond his contributions to traffic accident victims, he is also known for his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to supporting vulnerable groups of society.
In 2005, he founded a vocational training centre specialising in sewing and packaging for agricultural products. The centre employs and trains people with disabilities, including victims of Agent Orange and workplace accidents.
Initially, Tuy trained about a hundred individuals, some of whom still work with him today, while others have found employment elsewhere.
To communicate effectively with trainees who are hearing-impaired, Tuy learned sign language. For those with memory impairments, he provides daily instructions and reminders, understanding their unique challenges.
Currently, Tuy’s workshop employs 33 workers, all of whom have disabilities or come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He hopes to establish another facility to offer more job opportunities and help these individuals achieve stable livelihoods.
With his contributions to the community over the past 30 years, Tuy has received a certificate of merit from the Central Vietnam Red Cross Society, a certificate of merit from Hai Duong province and the KOVA award - Outstanding role models in life society in 2006.
TB (according to VNS)