Overcoming Many Difficulties, Tạ Minh Tuấn Successfully Built Vietnam's First Family-Doctor Model
Youthful, dynamic, and passionate was my first impression of Tạ Minh Tuấn, CEO of HELP International Joint Stock Company in Phú Nhuận District, Ho Chi Minh City. This 8X young man is also recognized as the youngest leader of BNI, the world's most successful business networking organization
Tạ Minh Tuấn Teaching in a Program for Business Leaders
Helping People Prevent Illness
5 years ago, over dinner, Tuấn's mother suddenly told him, ‘The test results are back. Your father has cancer…’ ‘At that moment, everything seemed to go dark before my eyes. I held my bowl and ate without awareness, tears streaming down my face. Even now, I remember the salty taste of that bowl of rice,’ Tuấn recalled. Yet his father's illness gave him a desire to contribute to medicine and care for people's health.
Cancer is one of the diseases with a very high chance of cure and prolonged survival if detected early and treated promptly. Cancer and some other chronic diseases can also be prevented by positively adjusting lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity, the nature of work, environment, and mental state… Witnessing his beloved father’s recovery after illness through a positive change in mindset and lifestyle made
Tuấn strengthened his conviction. He therefore wanted to help develop preventive medicine rather than treatment. This area remains inadequate and weak in Vietnam, which consistently ranks among countries with the highest rates of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, while 80% of these diseases are preventable.
After researching, Tuấn found the family doctor model the most suitable. Hospitals are currently overloaded, so doctors treat illnesses without time to advise patients on prevention. Meanwhile, people only go to hospital when ill. According to World Health Organization statistics, however, a country investing USD 1 in prevention saves USD 9–20 in future treatment costs.
Starting from zero
| My philosophy of life is contribution. To me, life is very short, which is why we must help others and live as meaningfully as possible. (Tạ Minh Tuấn) |
A graduate of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology whose parents were teachers, Tuấn was determined to pursue his business dream. ‘At the time, my parents disagreed because they feared I could not do it and, more importantly, that I would suffer. But I insisted on doing it through my own efforts, without borrowing capital from them,’ Tuấn recalled.
But nothing was easy. Without capital, Tuấn started through his leadership ability. He shared his idea with friends and relatives and asked them to introduce potential collaborators. His goal was to meet at least one acquaintance in a café each day to explain the idea. Sometimes he met 8 or 9 people in a single day at the same café because he could afford only one coffee. At first, some listened while others laughed and left, but Tuấn eventually persuaded 20 people to work an extra 2 hours a day on the program for an entire year without pay.
Dynamic Youth
During testing, the project encountered problems with staffing, direction, products, and services. When they investigated legal procedures, they found the model was too new in Vietnam and was not yet permitted. “There were times I felt terribly discouraged, but I had led everyone such a long way; how could I give up?” Tuấn said.
In 2009, HELP International Joint Stock Company was established as a pioneer in home healthcare. The company now has more than 70 personnel, including 35 doctors and 15 nurses… providing healthcare to residents in 24 urban and rural districts of Ho Chi Minh City. Lương Thị Mỹ (Dương Bá Trạc Street, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City) commented: ‘With timely examination, consultation, and treatment services, I have complete peace of mind about my family’s health.’ Beyond reducing illness rates, this model also helps ease hospital overcrowding.
In 2011, Tuấn’s company was included in the Ministry of Health’s directory of high-quality medical and pharmaceutical businesses. That same year, Tuấn was recognized as an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur (only 10 businesses nationwide receive certification each year).
Text and photos: HỒNG ĐÀO
Người lao động, 06/03/2012
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