For many years, the family of Mr. Lò Văn May in Na Cọ village (Mường Nhà commune) has always received the dedicated care and attention of the military medics from the Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate. Mr. May’s arm is paralyzed on one side, and his wife is often ill with poor health. Understanding their difficult circumstances, the post’s military medics regularly visit to provide examinations, medicine, and guidance on home care and treatment. Thanks to this, the health of Mr. and Mrs. May has gradually stabilized, and their lives have become more secure and warmed by the bond between the army and the people.

During a regular check-up, Mr. May emotionally expressed: “The officers at the Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate have been very caring, frequently visiting our home to check on and treat my wife and me. Thanks to them, our health is much more stable, and life is happier and more cheerful.”

On the treacherous border roads of the province, the image of the green-uniformed doctors crossing forests and streams to reach the local people has become familiar and deeply moving. Despite harsh weather and difficult terrain, the provincial Border Guard Command’s military medics persevere with their grassroots approach of staying close to the people, actively providing examinations and distributing medicine. At the same time, they conduct outreach and guide people on how to prevent diseases, care for reproductive health, and maintain environmental hygiene to improve their quality of life.

Ms. Chang Nu Hoa, a resident of Sín Thầu commune, shared: “The provincial Border Guard Command’s officers and soldiers are always concerned about the health of our villagers. They don’t mind the rain or sun, or the long roads to come to the village to examine us, give us medicine, and teach us how to prevent illness. Thanks to them, everyone is healthier, can work with peace of mind, and has trust in the Party and the State.”

Along with the local healthcare system, the provincial Border Guard Command’s military medical force actively participates in national target programs for public healthcare, such as the expanded immunization program and the prevention of malaria, influenza, and meningococcal disease. Thanks to close coordination and a high sense of responsibility, for many years, no widespread epidemics have occurred in the province’s border areas. The provincial Border Guard Command also maintains and effectively operates combined military-civilian medical clinics, helping to bring health services closer to the people in remote areas. Through these clinics, many people have received free examinations, consultations, and medicine, which has helped raise their awareness of health care and protection.

Lieutenant Colonel Trần Đăng Dân, a military medic at the Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate, said: “The people in the border areas mainly live in villages far from the center, with difficult roads, which creates many obstacles for medical examination and treatment. Identifying our role as doctors on the front lines, we always uphold a high sense of responsibility and are dedicated to caring for the people’s health. This is both a duty and a sentiment of a soldier towards the people of the borderlands.”

In recent times, the work of caring for and protecting the health of people in the border region has always been identified by the provincial Border Guard Command as one of the key tasks linked to the mission of managing and protecting national border security and sovereignty. The border guard medical force has proactively advised the provincial Border Guard Command to direct grassroots units to coordinate closely with local health facilities in border areas to promote communication, guidance, and mobilization of the people on hygiene, disease prevention, and environmental protection.

At the same time, the provincial Border Guard Command has effectively utilized three combined military-civilian medical clinics in Sín Thầu, Nà Bủng, and Mường Nhà communes to organize examinations, provide free medicine, and offer regular health check-ups for thousands of people in the border region. Since the beginning of the year, these combined military-civilian clinics have examined and provided medicine for 531 people, thereby contributing to improving community health.

The practice of traditional medicine and the military-civilian combination has also been widely implemented. One hundred percent of units have built and maintained traditional medicinal herb gardens, contributing to the preservation of valuable local medicinal resources, while also effectively combining modern and traditional medicine to treat common illnesses such as colds and flu, sprains, joint pain, and diarrhea. This allows for more flexible, cost-effective, and culturally familiar medical care for the ethnic communities.

Meanwhile, the border guard medics actively coordinate with local health services to participate in national target programs on expanded immunization, and the prevention of malaria, HIV/AIDS, seasonal flu, and meningococcal disease, ensuring no widespread epidemics occur. From September 2024 to August 2025, the provincial Border Guard Command mobilized many social organizations, unions, and philanthropists to jointly organize free medical examinations and medicine distribution for 4,135 border residents.

The quiet but meaningful work of the provincial Border Guard Command’s officers and soldiers has made an important contribution to caring for, protecting, and improving the health of the people in the border region. Each visit, each pill given, has helped people prevent illness and stabilize their lives, deeply demonstrating the “serving the people” spirit of the soldiers in green uniforms at the border.