On October 30, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health informed that the Department of Health Inspectorate will handle administrative violations against Saigon Medical Services Company Limited for the following violations: providing medical examination and treatment services beyond the scope of expertise stated in the medical examination and treatment license; not implementing or not fully implementing infection control measures at medical examination and treatment facilities.
The estimated fine is more than 100,000,000 VND and the additional penalty of the maximum penalty of revoking the clinic's medical examination and treatment license for a period of 4 months.
Penalize administrative violations against doctor B.T.T.H (doctor of the above clinic) for the following acts: not making medical records according to the form prescribed by law; prescribing medical examination and treatment services for personal gain and applying the additional penalty of the maximum penalty of revoking the right to use the medical examination and treatment practice certificate for doctor B.T.T.H for a period of 3 months.
The Health Department Inspectorate also penalized individuals involved in violations during medical examination and treatment activities and considered temporarily revoking the right to use practice certificates (practice licenses) for the above individuals.
When the results are available, the Department of Health Inspectorate will make them public on the Department of Health's electronic information portal so that people can know and monitor them together.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health continues to transfer the case file to the City Police Investigation Agency to investigate and clarify other signs of suspected violations of the law by Saigon Medical Services Company Limited for strict handling in accordance with regulations.
Previously, on October 24, the Inspectorate of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health received a call for help from the family of a patient who was being held by a private clinic to "fake illness and extort money".
Immediately after receiving the feedback, the Department of Health Inspectorate coordinated with local authorities to conduct a surprise inspection of the General Clinic of Saigon Medical Services Company Limited (address 153-155 Nguyen Van Cu) with Mr. N.V.D as Director.
The patient, named V.T.B.T (female, born in 1992), came to the clinic on October 22 and was examined by Dr. B.T.T.H., who ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound results showed that the fetus was 10 weeks and 4 days old, and the patient wanted to have an abortion.
The clinic charged 5 million VND, Dr. B.T.T.H prescribed medical abortion pills but wrote in the medical record that the pregnancy was maintained with Obimin.
After 2 days of taking the medicine, the patient returned for a follow-up visit. Doctor B.T.T.H prescribed an abortion but did not record the outpatient medical record nor did he have the patient sign a consent form before performing the abortion procedure.
Right on the operating table, the clinic staff continuously threatened and pressured the patient’s family to pay more money for a painless procedure at the price of 17 million VND. Because they did not have enough money to pay, the patient’s family called the Department of Health for help.
Also at this address, in September 2023, the clinic was issued a Decision by the Department of Health Inspectorate to sanction administrative violations with a total fine of VND 202,000,000, and at the same time applied an additional penalty of suspending operations for a period of 4 months - also for the acts of "faking illnesses, extorting money", providing medical examination and treatment services beyond the scope of expertise stated in the medical examination and treatment license.
