On September 20, the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health informed that the unit had reported on some existing contents in medical examination and treatment activities at the Department of Nephrology - Urology (Cestern General Hospital) after nearly 500 cases of kidney stone surgery were performed when the machine was broken.
Of these, after screening, 255 cases of laser gravel canopy were accounted for incorrectly. These cases were performed during the period when the machine was broken but were still accounted for as usual.
According to the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health, the Department of Nephrology - Urology and the Department of Surgery - Anesthesia and Resuscitation have been managing and using medical equipment ineffectively.
Departments lack coordination and are lax in management, leading to failure to prevent violations in recording records and implementing techniques.
The surgeon and anesthesiologist teams were dishonest in performing the functions and duties of doctors, violating professional ethics.
The personnel involved did not comply with the consultation regulations and did not comply with the technical procedures issued by the hospital in prescribing and selecting treatment methods.
The main responsibility belongs to the department heads; the inter-related responsibility belongs to members participating in the surgical team, anesthesia team, and toolkits with names during the process of performing laser stone endoscopy technical services during the broken machine stage, the document stated.
The Dak Lak Department of Health requested the Central Highlands General Hospital to review medical records, record medical conditions, discharge conditions and verify the treatment methods used for 255 cases.
These are patients who cannot perform laser stone massage services due to broken machines. At the same time, the hospital must proactively contact patients to check their free health status (clinical, paraclinical, urinary system) for all 255 patients.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Manh Toan - Director of Dak Lak Provincial Social Insurance - said: "On August 20, the Social Insurance Agency received an official dispatch from the Central Highlands General Hospital announcing the incorrect price for the technical service of endoscopy of urethral stone.
There are more than 200 medical records of subjects with health insurance cards, with the insurance payment amount of about 270 million VND".
According to Mr. Toan, the unit will wait for the conclusions of the authorities and proactively coordinate with the Department of Health to inspect, review and recover the proposed costs for payment that are not in accordance with regulations for technical services related to these laser stone cutting machines.
As Lao Dong reported, the Central Highlands General Hospital only has one stone laser machine and this device has been determined to be broken since November 2023.
However, the unusual thing is that since then, the unit has recorded nearly 500 patients having kidney stones.
Mr. Nay Phi La - Director of the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health - said: "This is a very serious incident. In this case, it was not a professional mistake. Here, hospital staff have declared and falsified the kidney stone surgery records and show signs of insurance fraud".
Regarding the incident, 2 officials at the Central Highlands General Hospital have been suspended from work.
