"I am very worried about the cost of interpreting every time I visit the hospital for a check-up. This cost is quite large for people who have to visit periodically like me. Thanks to the sign language interpreting service, I am confident in communicating with doctors and understanding what they are saying.”
Mai (name changed) is a 28-year-old woman who was born deaf and lives in a Southern province of Vietnam. Although she has been married for 5 years, Mai and her husband, who is also deaf, have no children. Two years ago, Mai began to explore the IVF services, and in vitro fertilization methods at the hospital and was supported by her mother for the cost. During this process, her mother or husband went with Mai to the hospital for examination and diagnosis procedures.
Image are for illustrative purposes
"As a deaf person, it is extremely inconvenient to communicate with the doctor, and I have very little understanding of the doctor's questions and instructions. My husband and I only know a little Vietnamese, and my mother does not know sign language, so I do not know the specifics health situation, service, and instructions." IVF is a complex technique, with many technical terms that even people without disabilities find difficult to understand. Therefore, people with limited access to information, like Mai, face many barriers when they do not understand the information provided by doctors. Therefore, Mai is very worried about the information she understands as well as faces many difficulties in deciding issues related to her health. Not only Mai, but many other deaf people are also "shy" about going to the hospital because of difficult communication, and the high cost of for using sign language interpretation services beyond their ability to pay.
Since April 2022, the Sign Language Interpretation Support Program for medical examination and treatment has been implemented, and Mai is one of the direct beneficiaries of the project. After two training courses specifically for sign language interpreters and Deaf people, building a working process for the interpreting team as well as building communication products for the activity, the project has publicized the information on ACDC’s media and 3 interpretations units in cooperation.
Ms Kien, a sign language interpreter, accompanied Mai during her visit to the hospital. Ms Kien said: "During the examination, some doctors spoke very quickly, so I had to ask for permission to record to not miss any information. At the same time, because I was trained, I also encourage doctors to talk and share with Mai instead of talking to the interpreter. During six months from April to October 2022, I always accompanied Mai and her husband on their journey to have children."
As for Mai, after receiving support from the project, she also shared that she was very confident in the information she received. Mai herself also understands more about her health situation, as well as the doctor’s instructions. After four months, Mai's family received good news that she was pregnant. The baby is now almost 24 weeks and developing well. Mai also adheres to the doctor's instructions about lifestyle and diet to ensure that the baby can be born healthy. In the first three months, Mai vomited a lot, but after consulting the doctor, she tried to eat in moderation and rest, which had good results.
The positive side of the project is not only to support the deaf to access information effectively but also the interpreters under the program receive a lot of love from the deaf and their families. Ms Kien said: "Mai's family loves me very much, always thanking me for their achievements." I am very happy to become a part of Mai and her husband's journey to have children." Medical offices, after being instructed by the interpreter, also actively communicate directly with the deaf, not just with the interpreter or family members. They also understand the importantce of sign language in communicating with deaf patients. Therefore, the demand for health workers to learn sign language has increased compared to before the implementation of the program. With this fact, the two sign language translation companies that are partners of the project are also in the process of developing a short-term training program for health workers on medical sign language.
"I am very happy and grateful to be a beneficiary of this project. I hope the project continues so that not only me but also more deaf people can get medical examinations and treatment with free sign language interpretation." That is not only the hope of Mai, of deaf people who have been fortunate to receive support, but also of many deaf people in Vietnam.
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