In-depth
Police crack down on bogus clinics
  • By Van Son | dtinews.vn | September 05, 2013 05:05 PM
 >>  Unlicensed doctors arrested in HCM City

The HCM City's Department of Health has just punished two local clinics for using unlicensed Chinese doctors.

 

Apollo Clinic on Tran Hung Dao Street 

According to the registration form, Apollo Clinic, located on 228 Tran Hung Dao Street, applied to the Department of Health, and stated that they employ eight Vietnamese doctors with full licences for different specialties.

However, when the inspectors visited the clinic on August 29, ten Chinese "doctors" tried to flee. It was later found  that none of them had medical licenses and none of the Vietnamese doctors was present. The clinic's owner had rented the Vietnamese doctors' names for advertising purposes and hired other "doctors" with or without licences.

Apollo Clinic was fined over VND61.2 million for its business violations and for distributing unknown medicines to patients. The Chinese doctors have been transferred to the municipal Immigration Office while the Vietnamese doctors that leased out their names and degrees may be fined VND12.5 million. Furthermore, the inspectors proposed to suspend the Vietnamese doctors' licences for at least nine months.

Clinic owners used Vietnamese doctors names for registration

The same situation has occurred at Hiep Hoa Clinic on Truong Son Street where only one out of eight Chinese doctors has a licence. However, Hiep Hoa Clinic did not tell the management agency that they employ foreign doctors.

In addition, even though the clinic is not allowed to carry out surgeries, patients said they came here for hemorrhoids treatment and circumcisions. Several patients said they had to pay VND30 million for two days of treatment.

The clinic actually rented a Vietnamese doctor's name and degree, again for marketing reasons. But this doctor has denounced the clinic and admitted that he did not know anything about the activities of the clinic. He filed the letter of denouncement after finding out that Hiep Hoa Clinic is involved with another clinic on Phan Dang Luu street, which was earlier forced to shut down because of its violations.

Not only did the clinic's questionable doctor endanger patients, its false advertising and high prices have also caused many concerns.

The agencies have revoked Hiep Hoa Clinic's licence and banned the illegal Chinese doctors from entering Vietnam for five years. To tighten management activities at clinics, agencies should threaten strict punishment and publicise the names of Vietnamese doctors who lease out their names without regard for the ensuing circumstances, particularly the danger posed to patients.

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