Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Thach, Deputy Director of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital has been honoured as a spine surgeon with “golden hands” by the Vietnamese medical society. He is a pioneer in establishing the Spinal Surgery Department of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital.
Every day, Dr. Nguyen Van Thach starts working at the Spinal Surgery Department of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital at 6:45. In the morning, he and more than 10 doctors give medical examinations and diagnose the patients suffering serious diseases.
When we visited the Spinal Surgery Department, Dr. Thach and other doctors were holding an online consultation with leading professors in the United States and South Korea to diagnose a case of a spinal injury which is rare in the world. At the consultation, Dr. Thach’s opinions on the treatment method were highly appreciated by the American doctors. We were told that every week the Spinal Surgery Department headed by Dr. Thach holds two online consultations with leading professors in the United States and South Korea to discuss treatment for serious cases of spinal injuries in each country.
When we visited the Spinal Surgery Department, Dr. Thach and other doctors were holding an online consultation with leading professors in the United States and South Korea to diagnose a case of a spinal injury which is rare in the world. At the consultation, Dr. Thach’s opinions on the treatment method were highly appreciated by the American doctors. We were told that every week the Spinal Surgery Department headed by Dr. Thach holds two online consultations with leading professors in the United States and South Korea to discuss treatment for serious cases of spinal injuries in each country.
 Associate Professor. Dr. Nguyen Van Thach has been honoured as a spine surgeon with “golden hands” by the Vietnamese medical society. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  Dr. Nguyen Van Thach and leading professors in the United States and South Korea held an online consultation. Photo: Tat Son/VNP |
| « Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Thach has successfully applied many advanced treatment methods, such as high-frequency radio waves to treat dislocated herniated discs and endoscopic surgery to treat vertebral compression fractures as a result of osteoporosis. In 2012, he was the first doctor in Southeast Asia to perform a robot-assisted spinal surgery. »
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Dr. Nguyen Van Thach said that he had begun spinal surgery as a pre-destined career. In 1988, he was sent to Germany to do his doctoral studies in the medical field by the State. While he was hesitating about choosing the major at the medical school, he was fortunate to meet three teachers, Professor Prof, Professor Arnol and Professor Schweltick who were Germany’s leading experts in spinal surgery. They gave him orientations and helped and taught him professional skills during his time of living and studying abroad.
During his talk, Dr. Thach often mentioned the late Prof. Ton That Bach with respect for this great teacher. In the 1990s, there were almost no treatment methods for spinal diseases in Vietnam, so the patients with spinal diseases had to undergo treatment at the Orthopedic Trauma Department. When Dr. Thach went to work at the Vietnam-Germany Hospital, Prof. Ton That Bach told him: “Do you think spinal surgery can develop into a separate department to treat patients?”
The suggestion of Prof. Ton That Bach made him mull over this issue. Then a case made a turning point in the life of Dr. Nguyen Van Thach. In 2004 patient Nguyen Thi Anh from Thanh Hoa suffered congenital scoliosis at 110 degrees. This was a very rare case in the medical history of the world because the patient’s spine was crooked to almost a right angle. With his accumulated knowledge and the encouragement of Prof. Ton That Bach, Dr. Thach and his colleagues decided to apply the surgical method on this patient.
After 10 hours of an intense operation, the surgery was successful. The patient’s health completely recovered and her spine was as straight as normal people, thus making her 8cm taller than before the surgery. From this success and with efforts in personnel training, in 2007, the Spinal Surgery Department of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital was officially established and quickly became a reliable address for people with spinal problems in Vietnam.
During his talk, Dr. Thach often mentioned the late Prof. Ton That Bach with respect for this great teacher. In the 1990s, there were almost no treatment methods for spinal diseases in Vietnam, so the patients with spinal diseases had to undergo treatment at the Orthopedic Trauma Department. When Dr. Thach went to work at the Vietnam-Germany Hospital, Prof. Ton That Bach told him: “Do you think spinal surgery can develop into a separate department to treat patients?”
The suggestion of Prof. Ton That Bach made him mull over this issue. Then a case made a turning point in the life of Dr. Nguyen Van Thach. In 2004 patient Nguyen Thi Anh from Thanh Hoa suffered congenital scoliosis at 110 degrees. This was a very rare case in the medical history of the world because the patient’s spine was crooked to almost a right angle. With his accumulated knowledge and the encouragement of Prof. Ton That Bach, Dr. Thach and his colleagues decided to apply the surgical method on this patient.
After 10 hours of an intense operation, the surgery was successful. The patient’s health completely recovered and her spine was as straight as normal people, thus making her 8cm taller than before the surgery. From this success and with efforts in personnel training, in 2007, the Spinal Surgery Department of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital was officially established and quickly became a reliable address for people with spinal problems in Vietnam.
 Associate Prof. Nguyen Van Thach conducts a surgery on a patient. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  At 7 o’clock every morning, Dr. Nguyen Van Thach chairs a regular meeting on professional matters with his colleagues at the Spinal Surgery Department. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  After that, he directly examines patients at the hospital. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  Dr. Nguyen Van Thach has wholeheartedly treated patients and spent much effort training a contingent of young doctors. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  Dr. Nguyen Van Thach and his colleagues diagnose a case of a spinal injury through the negative film. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  The method of endoscopic surgery to treat herniated discs applied by Dr. Nguyen Van Thach has proved effectiveness. Photo: Tat Son/VNP  Dr. Nguyen Tan Thach directly conducts surgeries on serious cases of spinal injuries. Photo: Tat Son/VNP |
Under our proposal, Dr. Nguyen Van Thach and the Directorate of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital allowed us to witness an endoscopic spine surgery for a patient with spinal disc herniation. During the surgery, Dr. Thach not only conducted the operation skillfully but also talked with the patient. It seemed he was trying to create trust and energize the patient to overcome the intense surgery.
Brushing the sweat off his forehead with his hand after the surgery, Dr. Thach said: “Each surgery is a different situation. I am the head of the surgical team, if I do not create trust for all the people, even the patient, the surgery will face many difficulties.”
Every day, Dr. Nguyen Van Thach does 4-6 surgeries. Apart from working at the hospital he also teaches at the Postgraduate Training Faculty of the Hanoi Medical University. Talking about human resources training, he said that an excellent doctor could cure one patient while the training of five or ten doctors could bring opportunities for 5-10 more patients to be cured. That’s why Dr. Nguyen Van Thach has spent much effort training a contingent of young doctors who have both professional skills and morality, helping make the Spinal Surgery Department of the Vietnam-Germany Hospital become a leading spinal surgery centre of Vietnam.
With great contributions to medicine, Dr. Nguyen Van Thach has been awarded with many titles and prizes by the State, such as the People’s Physician, the Labour Order of second and third class and the “Breakthrough for Community” title in the 11th “Glorious Vietnam” programme co-organized by the Lao Dong Newspaper and Vietnam Television in 2014./.
Story: Thong Thien - Photo: Tat Son
