HCMC determined to eliminate the problem of "brokers" in medical examination and treatment
At a meeting with city hospitals, centrally-run hospitals and ward and commune hospitals located in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Tang Chi Thuong - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that in the past, the press has reported a lot about the situation of "brokers" of hospitals, now the phenomenon of "brokers" returning is a warning worth paying attention to hospital directors.
We must frankly admit that there may not be such a thing before, but now the phenomenon of brokers has reappeared, even more sophisticatedly. This seriously affects the quality of medical services, security and order at hospitals, especially people's trust in the public health system," said Mr. Thuong.
At the same time, Mr. Thuong also emphasized that this meeting is not only a place to record the current situation, but more importantly, to share the methods and propose solutions to effectively combat "brokerage". I suggest that hospitals clearly answer: Is there a situation of brokerage or not? If so, what form does it take, inside or outside the hospital? This is an opportunity for us to look back and together propose fundamental solutions, Mr. Thuong raised the issue.
Regarding this issue, Dr. Tran Van Song - Director of People's Hospital 115 said: "We do not tolerate the situation of "brokers", and are resolutely implementing many solutions to prevent this situation".
According to Mr. Song, as a final-line hospital with a capacity of 4,000 visits per day, including more than 2,000 visitors from outpatients and people from other provinces, People's Hospital 115 always has the potential to be exploited by "brokers". "The group of elderly patients who have little access to technology or are coming to the hospital for the first time can easily become an attractive target," said Mr. Song.
The hospital has implemented many measures to control. However, according to Mr. Song, there are still some cases of "order brokers" taking advantage of loopholes such as: receiving social security numbers, borrowing ID cards or medical examination books to jostle. These people often work near the hospital gate, appearing early in the morning, mixing tea under the cover to sell water or support patients.
Focus on digital transformation, optimize medical examination processes
Faced with the increasingly sophisticated situation of "serious medical examination brokers", many hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have simultaneously deployed digital transformation solutions and improved processes to improve service quality, while preventing the situation of hook-ups and solicitation of patients.
Representatives of Gia Dinh People's Hospital proposed three key groups of solutions: promoting the application of digital technology (registering for examination via website, mini app on Zalo, hotline, cashless payment); optimizing hospital operations (smart traffic, shortening waiting time); and identifying patients through citizen identification cards or personal codes.
The Dermatology Hospital is implementing two directions in parallel: strengthening security and improving the medical examination and treatment process. In addition to propaganda, the hospital arranges staff to support customers throughout, extending the examination time frame to 6pm every day, and at the same time increasing examination tables, human resources for collection, reception and data entry during peak hours.
At Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, about 400 patients register for examination via app every day and 150 people through the switchboard, accounting for about 15 20% of the total examination. Despite applying many remote digital methods, the hospital still faces great difficulties in space due to small premises and high density of visitors. The representative of the unit proposed to soon grant a license to expand the second facility in Ba Ria or Duong Dong to reduce the current pressure.
With the characteristics of up to 84% of patients coming from other provinces, Ho Chi Minh City Oral Hospital has proactively opened the reception gate from 5am, combined with a loudspeaker announcer and coordinated with local police to block off from 4am to control the gathering and solicitation in front of the hospital gate.
The situation of "brokers" is increasingly changing, not only taking patients but also impersonating medical staff, taking advantage of technology such as requesting QR codes to get fake numbers to sell for examination or luring them to outside clinics. Faced with this situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology and Orthopedic Trauma Hospital said it has increased coordination with the ward police to handle violations, while tightening regulations and strictly handling any hospital staff who assisted the "broker".
