Revealing from those involved
Continuing the journey to find the truth behind the splendor of Phuc Lam Bao Duong ecosystem, Lao Dong newspaper reporters approached many witnesses in Ao Vua area ( Bat Dam village) and recorded a model of medical examination and treatment operated in a "closed" manner, with a series of unusual manifestations.
People in Ao Vua area confirmed that Phuc Lam Bao Duong complex has built a complete "ecosystem", including medical examination and treatment, accommodation, dining, treatment, drug sales and even a grocery sales system to serve the daily needs of patients.
Patients coming here almost all live in closed spaces, all activities are closely linked to the services provided by this business.
"Every person who comes to see a doctor is given the same medicine, the same medicine level. They say it is a medicine according to traditional medicine, but it is no different from the leaves of the rushing dry plants around the house," a resident living on Ao Vua Street near Phuc Lam Bao Duong shared.
A surprising detail when people said that before Tet, local people cut down some types of trees, branches of fabric, longan, etc., then collected them by Phuc Lam Bao Duong's staff, dried them, chopped them down, and mixed them with some herbs to make medicine.
When you drink, you dont die, but you have to get better, said a local.
During the information collection process, it was difficult for the reporter group to reach the patients, because they almost rarely stepped out of Phuc Lam Bao Duong's reach.
After a long wait, the reporter group met a patient (from Nam Dinh) who was staying until the 5th day in a stilt house at Phuc Lam Bao Duong campus. The female patient revealed that each day, patients are only allowed to leave the area for a very short time, 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the afternoon. If he wanted to go out longer, there would be an employee of Phuc Lam Bao Duong accompanying and closely following him.
"The drugs they sell are without names, production dates and place of manufacture are not known. They also do not allow themselves to take the medicine out and limit patients from going to places other than Phuc Lam Bao Duong. If I have to go, this unit will let my companions monitor me to see if I say anything outside to strangers," said the patient.
The female patient said on May 24, when suddenly the inspection team came, the doctors rushed to run away, and at the same time, the staff in Phuc Lam Bao Duong asked the patient to hide the entire medicine. When the authorities check and question the origin, expiry date and production information, employees cannot provide any valid information about many drugs. Three samples were later seized to take away.
The moment the discussion between the patient and the group of reporters took place was also the time when from inside the campus of Phuc Lam Bao Duong ecosystem, a group of elderly people went out in the wind, but there was an employee next to them who was always following them closely.
Internal sales with cut-off prices, staging videos to treat serious illnesses
Local people also revealed that many promotional videos about the effectiveness of treatment in Phuc Lam Bao Duong were posted on social networks with the main character being Mr. Bui Duy Dat (Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Nam Duoc Lam Joint Stock Company) and people with serious illnesses being staged. These people were seriously ill, or paralyzed, and were hired to come, filming and then being taken back.
People who watch it online always think it is real, but only those who live here know completely, in fact, no local people have ever come to see it, a resident frankly said.
Some patients described the treatment experience here as no different from "being locked up at a traditional healer's clinic", while the drugs used for unknown origin and effectiveness depend on each person's location.
The cost of treatment at Phuc Lam Bao Duong is said to be higher than normal. A patient said that the price of medicine alone was up to 2.4 million VND for three bottles of medicine of unknown origin. The accommodation fee is 400,000 VND/day including food, accommodation and treatment.
Previously, this model operated as a pay-per-day model, but has recently changed. Each patient must pay a deposit of 5 million VND when starting a check-up. Not only stopping at medicine and accommodation, people and patients all confirmed that there is also a grocery system at the entrance to Phuc Lam Bao Duong campus with all essential items.
However, the price is twice as high as outside, causing patients to be upset many times. The source also said that the entire sales system is owned by relatives and relatives of Mr. Bui Duy Dat, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Nam Duoc Lam Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company.
Many patients, when treating and visiting Ao Vua Tourist Area, accidentally discovered that the elevator distributed by Phuc Lam Bao Duong has many similarities with the medicine sold by ethnic minorities in Ao Vua, with the price being only half (50,000 - 60,000 VND/elevator) compared to the price sold in the clinic (120,000 VND/elevator). When discovered buying medicine outside, the patient was then restricted from traveling and entering, especially to this tourist area.
When we asked why the price was twice as high, Phuc Lam Bao Duong representative cited that because of the effort and herbal ingredients, there was no mixing of painkillers, and the high cost of labor, said a patient indignantly.
It can be seen that from medical examination and treatment to accommodation, accommodation, drug sales and a grocery store system serving daily life for patients, all of the above services are integrated into one system controlled by the same group of people.
This operating structure helps Phuc Lam Bao Duong take comprehensive control of patients from the time of examination until leaving.
Reports from local people and patients show that this ecosystem is not simply an activity of medical examination and treatment, but also shows signs of profiteering from the pain of patients, through strict control, drug price inflation, concealing product origin information and even creating false advertising videos.
Unusual activities, what did representative of Phuc Lam Bao Duong say?
In response to Lao Dong Newspaper's reflection on the "comprehensive" medical examination and treatment model in Phuc Lam Bao Duong ( Facilities 1, at Bat Dam village, Tan Linh commune, Ba Vi district, Hanoi), on March 16, Nam Phuc Lam Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, the managing unit, issued a written response. In which, this unit affirmed: "The Traditional Medicine Clinic led by Dr. Vu Huy Hai does not allow patients to stay at the clinic".
This enterprise admitted to having "cooperated with another unit to provide accommodation services" in the common premises of Phuc Lam Bao Duong, which is also the clinic's operating location.
This is a detail that makes many people doubt the independence between the two units when patients come to see a doctor, eat, stay and buy medicine all in the same ecosystem, closed space.
Also in the response document, Nam Phuc Lam Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company affirmed that the products sold at Phuc Lam Bao Duong "are not drugs, nor are they functional foods", but are only 100% natural products, which have been tested for safety. However, this company did not announce which testing agency and the testing results.
