Charity Tâm Lành (Good Heart) in Rạch Giá City, Kiên Giang Province, provides meals for medical workers and patients every day. VNA/VNS Photo

KIÊN GIANG -  The charity Tâm Lành (Good Heart) in Rạch Giá City, the southern province of Kiên Giang, is helping to support medical staff, patients in difficult circumstances at hospitals, and soldiers on duty at COVID checkpoints in the city.

Kiên Giang Province's General Hospital was locked down after a number of COVID-19 cases were reported there on July 13, leaving hundreds of patients in difficulty.  

Tâm Lành has provided daily meals for medical staff and patients who were isolated at the hospital.

Hoàng Đức Nhã, a woman living in Rạch Giá City, also a member of Tâm Lành, said that in the first days of lockdown, she and members of the charity cooked a few hundred meals every day for doctors, health workers and patients who were isolated at the hospital.

“I've been doing this work for over a month and I want to do my part to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

The charity has continued providing meals for patients at the general hospital as well as other hospitals in the city during the pandemic.

Since the province implemented social distancing following the Government's Directive 16, Tâm Lành has provided many meals for employees at COVID checkpoints in the region, from 1,600 to 1,700 meals a day.

In order to maintain funding, in addition to contributions from charity's members, the group has called on local benefactors, relatives and friends to contribute money and food, so they are able to bring meals to needy people in the pandemic.

Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, chef of Marina Palace restaurant in Rạch Giá, also a member of Tâm Lành, said that group members had gathered at the restaurant’s kitchen every morning to cook.

Over the last 30 days, the group has provided about 50,000 boxes of food for medical workers and staff on duty at pandemic checkpoints in the area. Staff voluntarily take turns to cook every day.

They try to find ways to reduce the cost of each meal but still to ensure meals are healthy and nutritious. Every day, they wake up early and buy fresh ingredients. 

"Everyone is actively working in a fun atmosphere, doing their best to prepare meals with differing tastes with the hope that life will return to normal soon,” Tuấn Anh said.

Phan Quốc Tuấn, a worker of Hùng Phát garage in the city, also a member of Tâm Lành, said that every morning he transports food, vegetables and fruit supported by benefactors to the kitchen.

Around 10:30am, he and volunteers take turns delivering the food to the isolation areas of the Oncology Hospital, Traditional Medicine Hospital, Kiên Giang Provincial General Hospital and COVID checkpoints.

He finishes work at 12:30pm.

In the afternoon, he and other members continue to deliver meals to isolation areas.

Tuấn said in the coming days, Kiên Giang Provincial residents would continue to make efforts to overcome difficulties and respond to Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính's call to " beat COVID pandemic." VNS