Newborn baby coded for syphilis
Regarding the case of a newborn baby being labeled with syphilis in his discharge paper, on the evening of September 11, in an exchange with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. D. T (resident of Phu An ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that his family did not agree with the content of the response from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
According to Mr. D. T, the incident originated on December 10, 2025, Ms. V.T (Mr. D. M.T's wife) went to Binh Duong General Hospital (Phu Loi ward, Ho Chi Minh City) to give birth. After giving birth, the mother and baby were diagnosed and treated for syphilis from the results of Treponema pallidum rapid test positive, RPR negative.
Not believing in the above results, on December 13, 2025, Mr. D. T took his wife to the Dermatology Hospital (HCMC) for re-examination, the RPR result was negative for syphilis. However, when bringing the above results back, they were not approved by doctors at Binh Duong General Hospital. After that, both mother and baby continued to receive antibiotic treatment to treat syphilis, and in the discharge paper, the disease code A50 (congenital syphilis) was attached.
Disagreeing with the above handling of the case, Mr. D. T. has repeatedly complained.
The professional council determined it was appropriate
On September 11, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health worked with Mr. D. T to answer the complaint.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the Department has established a Professional Council to consider and conclude on patients V.T and D.V (daughter of Ms. V.T). The Professional Council has held a meeting, reviewed medical records, related documents, discussed and agreed on the content.
Specifically, the Professional Council determined that Binh Duong General Hospital's treatment of the mother in conditions with an automatic immuno-responsive Syphilis test is consistent with the treatment guidelines of the Ministry of Health. For the indication of syphilis treatment for children, it is consistent with the principle of prevention of mother-to-child transmission and prevention of syphilis later for children in a woman who may have untreated syphilis. Treatment drugs and treatment duration are appropriate. The indication of 2nd cerebrospinal fluid puncture is consistent with the clinical progression of the patient (leucorrhea, increased white blood cells).
The Professional Council requested Binh Duong General Hospital to learn from experience in clearly and correctly explaining that the automatic syphilis test is positive (this is a specific test, not a RPR test).
The family still does not agree with the response of the Department of Health
Mr. D. T said that he did not agree with the professional conclusion of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health. Mr. D. T said that the conclusion did not consider the negative RPR test results of the Dermatology Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City). This is a control result showing that Ms. V.T (the mother of the newborn baby girl) did not have syphilis.
Regarding the above answer, Mr. D. T said that Binh Duong General Hospital is based on rapid test results to use antibiotics to treat syphilis, which affects the health of mothers and babies. Moreover, the family was worried and mentally devastated after the incident. Up to now, the mother's psychology is still affected.
I will reserve the complaint, do not accept the withdrawal of the complaint and will continue to send the complaint to a higher level".
