Vietnam - Traditional health center found deceitful, overcharging

A State-owned ward-level traditional medicine center in Ho Chi Minh City has inaccurately boasted that it can treated incurable diseases, even HIV/AIDS, to lure patients and overcharge them, a Tuoi Tre investigation has found.

Pretending to be patients, Tuoi Tre correspondents visited the center, which is located in Long Thanh My Ward, District 9, several days ago. They were received by Dr Do Van Duan, 67, and Nguyen Thi Gin, a staff member.

“We here offer prestigious treatment. We treat patients to the roots of their diseases… We can cure diseases that doctors around the world cannot cure, such as blood cancer, liver cancer, paralysis, or other diseases related to the heart, liver and lungs,” Gin claimed.

She said besides herself and Dr Duan, the center had five other employees, though they were seldom present there since they had to go to patients’ houses to treat them.

Gin said many people with fatal diseases had been successfully cured by the center, and such cases have been referred to the Health Ministry for the sake of medical study purposes.

After glancing at a woman being examined by Dr Duan, Gin said the patient suffered from blood cancer and might die if she were to seek treatment at a hospital. To the correspondents’ surprise, Gin explained that she was telepathic and had an ability to diagnose through seeing and feeling.

At that time, a man in casual clothing stepped in and joined Dr Duan in examination. Gin called the man Dr Hai, and added that he “commanded the center and decided on all treatments there.”

“Dr” Hai then told the patient that she was suffering from level 3 heart failure, along with liver and spleen gigantism, all of which needed to be treated as soon as possible.

Gin then told the woman and the correspondents to travel to Hai’s house, about 1 km from the center, since it was time to close for a noon break.

Once everyone was in his house, Hai re-examined the woman and said that she needed surgery on her spleen first. He also told her that he had close relationships with many large hospitals in HCMC and that he could seek help from them for any patient.

Hai also said he could cure patients of cancer, diabetes, and even HIV.

Spend money and only get worse

With their boastful claims, the center’s staff has been successful in luring a number of patients who received treatment there only to find their health condition get worse

One of the victims was Tran Bach Diep, 30, of Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province, to whom Gin said the center could cure his problem at a cost of VND10 million (US$480).

Diep later paid Gin VND7.5 million in advance but was not given a receipt for his payment.

Diep then was treated with both oral medicine and injections of unknown origin for five days, but his condition not only failed to improve, but he also suffered from a headache.

Depressed by the center’s ineffective treatment, Diep returned home.

As his condition worsened, his family called Gin to complain. She then said she would pay VND1 million back to the family provided that they promised not to take any legal action against the center.

Another victim was T.T.A, 69, of Dong Nai Province, who suffered a cerebrovascular accident. The center told her that her condition could be cured with a recovery rate of 80 percent and that she would be able to walk after 25 days of treatment.

A’s family paid the center VND8.5 million, but after 20 days the old woman’s condition remained unchanged. On August 4 the center told the family to take A to a hospital in District 9 for physical therapy.

However, Dr Huynh Thi Ngoc Van, head of the traditional medicine department of the hospital, said that the best time for treating the patient had passed, so the chance of recovery was insignificant.

Who is “Dr Hai”?

Physician Doan Minh Hiep, head of the Health Station of Long Thanh My Ward, said the center paid VND800,000 to the station to lease a building and cover utility expenses under a signed contract.

Hiep said Dr Duan is the manager of the center and Gin is Duan’s assistant and only holds a certificate of completion of an oriental medicine training course from the Ho Chi Minh Traditional Medicine and Pharmaceutical Institute. Hiep said he did not know about the man called “Dr Hai.”

Hiep said the station had twice worked with the center after receiving many complains that it had overcharged patients and advertised excessively.

On August 26, the station met with the center and Dr Duan said the medicine that some patients handed to Tuoi Tre was given to them by Dr Hai.

Hiep said after the meeting, the station reported the case to the district Health Preventive Center for consideration and to police for verification about the personal details and qualifications of “Dr Hai”.

TUOI TRE