Vinh Long Province, Vietnam – An 80-year-old man’s battle with rectal cancer is being overshadowed by the crushing financial burden of treatment, highlighting the stark realities of healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
A Father’s Worry, A Daughter’s Despair
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The escalating costs of chemotherapy are forcing a family to confront an impossible choice between life-saving care and financial ruin.
- In October 2025, Nguyen Thanh Thao was diagnosed with rectal cancer requiring chemotherapy.
- The cost of treatment, estimated at tens of millions of dong per round, is beyond the family’s reach.
- His daughter, Nguyen Thi Bic Lieu, works multiple jobs to afford basic necessities and painkillers for her father.
- Local Red Cross resources are insufficient to cover the full cost of care.
The dirt road leading to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Thao’s home in Phu Quoi Village, Hung Khanh Trung Province, is a visible sign of hardship. The house itself shows its age, with cracked walls and a damp, moldy interior. For over a decade, Mr. Thao’s health has been declining, leaving him largely bedridden. But the diagnosis in October 2025 brought a new level of desperation: rectal cancer demanding chemotherapy for any chance of prolonged life.
“I think it’s enough to live to this age,” Mr. Thao whispered from his bed, his voice heavy with resignation. “But I feel sorry for Lieu. Being sick like this because the family is poor is like driving a child into a dead end. Where else would money be spent on chemicals…” His bleary eyes reflected the agony of a father burdened by his illness and the financial strain it places on his daughter.
A Cycle of Poverty and Illness
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bic Lieu, born in 1976, is the daughter who tirelessly cares for her father. Without a stable job, she takes on any work she can find – weeding fields, washing dishes, assisting a bricklayer – just to afford rice and pain medication. The weight of her father’s illness is etched on her face.
Doctors have indicated that Mr. Thao would need at least eight rounds of chemotherapy if his health allows. “Each treatment costs tens of millions of dong,” Lieu said, tears welling in her eyes after a sleepless night. “It’s a fortune I could never even dream of.”
What are the biggest barriers to cancer treatment in developing countries? Limited financial resources, lack of access to healthcare facilities, and insufficient insurance coverage are major obstacles for patients seeking life-saving care.
Lieu’s own history adds another layer of sorrow. “My mother died 20 years ago due to poverty, and there was no money for medical treatment,” she recounted, her voice breaking. “Now my father has come… I borrowed money from all over, but everyone is as poor as me, so now I really have no one to turn to.”
Community Support, Limited Resources
Neighbors share in the family’s distress. Sau Mai, who lives nearby, lamented, “Mr. Thao’s family has been poor for a long time. Our neighbors are also poor, so they can only save money for rice and medicine. It breaks my heart to see him sick and not having money for treatment.”
Huynh Thanh Nau, chairman of the Red Cross in Hung Khanh Trung Commune, acknowledged the limitations of local support. “There are 87 poor households and 140 near-poor households in the entire commune,” he stated. “Although Mr. Thao’s family is one of the near-poor households, the cost of cancer treatment exceeds the local support capacity. We hope that the media and philanthropists will take interest and support together so that Mr. Tao has more opportunities to continue receiving treatment and prolong his life.”
As the sun set, the image of Lieu standing quietly by her father’s bedside, clutching a prescription, remained a haunting reminder of a life slowly fading, not from a lack of hope, but from a lack of funds.
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