Dr. Ho Thi Trang examines a homeless boy at the Trieu Phuoc General Clinic in District 11.

Homeless children in Ho Chi Minh City now have five medical clinics they can turn to when they are sick.

A shabbily dressed boy who looks about 11 stands in the rain in front of the Xom Moi Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City’s Go Vap District.

After a minute’s hesitation, he steps inside, cries “I’ve had a cough and fever for several weeks. Please help me…” and collapses to the floor.

Dr. Nguyen Dang Phan, who runs the clinic, rushes to the boy and takes his hand.

Three hours later, Ban - as the boy introduces himself - regains consciousness.

Asked about his circumstances, Ban says he’s been homeless since he was three years old and has done everything from selling lottery tickets to collecting garbage to get by.

“I don’t know who my parents are or where I come from,” he says. “I have slept in Gia Dinh Park for a long time and spent most of my time in Go Vap or Tan Binh districts.”

Even his name, Ban, which means “measles” in Vietnamese, was given to him by his homeless friends. They were the ones who urged him to visit the clinic.

“When I got here, I was hesitant about going in as I feared they would throw me straight out again. Moreover, I have no money, so what if they had asked me to pay?” asks Ban.

Dr. Phan pats Ban’s head and says, “Here is the right place for you. We’ll take care of you.”

Xom Moi is one of five clinics in HCMC that give free medical care to homeless children with no questions asked and no strings attached.

They are the pilots of the Friendly and Supportive Services for Street Children project, initiated by the HCMC health department’s Health Communication and Education Center last December.

Another is the Camillo Clinic on Le Van Sy Street in District 3, where kids like Ban can get free medical attention from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. after their working day is over.

It’s common to hear the children telling each other about their day while waiting for their turn outside the examination room. Sometimes a boy runs out of the room in delight saying: “Hey, the doctor says I’m better. It’s so good!”

Camillo’s staff includes students and office workers who volunteer their time for the sake of the children.

A student from Ton Duc Thang University says she helps out whenever she is free. “We work from our heart, not for money. Most of all we want to help the children who are seriously ill.

“Everyone who works here shares the same desire: to help children struck by misfortune. It’s what we do,” says Dr. Phan of Xom Moi Clinic.

Dr. Truong Trong Hoang, deputy director of the Health Communication and Education Center, says street children are in danger of sexual harassment, homosexual and heterosexual prostitution, drug addiction and HIV infection.

In the past few months, two adjoining clinics involved in the program, Trieu Phuoc and Van Phuoc, have admitted dozens of boys and girls found at street corners or under bridges.

“Some of the girls who come here for an abortion are only 15 or 16 years old and they are always pale and dressed in rags,” says Dr. Ho Thi Trang, who runs the twin clinics.

“They cry when they tell us about their lives.”

Dr. Hoang says the clinics involved in the program do more than just take care of the children; they also try to teach the youngsters how to look after themselves and keep out of harm’s way.

Dr. Phan, who has been spending much of his income on charity for years, says the children with HIV/AIDS can easily transmit the disease to others out of ignorance.

For the terminally ill children from the mean streets, his clinic has set up a suburban shelter called Grass House where they can live out their final days.

Source: Tuoi Tre