In the afternoon of September 15, providing quick information to Lao Dong Newspaper, Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Hoang Quoc Cuong - Director of Can Tho City Department of Health - said that the Department of Health has inspected (the "super-fast" health certificate dispensing clinic that Lao Dong Newspaper reflected - PV) and will have a press release.
This move took place in the context that just one day before (September 14), the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management - Ministry of Health had an urgent document requesting verification of the incident.
Previously, on September 12, Lao Dong Newspaper launched a series of articles "Series of private clinics issuing "super-fast" job application health certificates in the Mekong Delta".
In Can Tho, there are private clinics where workers who come for health check-ups to apply for jobs are only measured blood pressure, oral check-ups and briefly asked about their health status by a doctor. However, health certificates returned after about 20 minutes have up to 9 signatures in different specialized sections, with the same conclusion "healthy enough for work and study". Or some clinics even do not measure heart rate or blood pressure for workers.
In Dong Thap province, when the examined person had an abnormally high heart rate and blood pressure, the doctor issued some warnings about the danger level of the disease and immediate treatment. However, when hearing the examined person want to complete the documents to apply for a job soon, the doctor called the staff to support them with medication to reduce it. The final result on the health certificate was the words "Sufficient health".
Also in this province, a medical staff member from another clinic said that health check-ups for job applications only require a doctor to examine and conclude.
The article by Lao Dong Newspaper provides a multi-dimensional analysis of risky "commitments" between parties: workers need work, businesses need labor, clinics make money perfunctorily.
Meanwhile, the post-inspection work of the health sector still has many limitations and inadequacies.
This leaves consequences for workers, sows dangers for business operations and directly reduces the prestige and medical ethics of the health sector.
The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) has issued an urgent document to the Department of Health of Can Tho City and the Department of Health of Dong Thap province, requesting clarification of press information reflecting on health certificate issuance activities at some private clinics in the Mekong Delta region.
The Ministry of Health requests these units to report on the progress and results of inspection and verification before September 18, 2026.
