VietNamNet Bridge – After detecting violations at some Chinese clinics, the Ministry of Health has asked the departments of health of 63 provinces to inspect all Chinese clinics.



The ministry’s chief inspector, Mr. Dang Van Chinh, said that local departments of health must send their reports on inspection results to the ministry before July 4.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Son, vice head of the Traditional Medicine Department, said that new forms of violations were recently detected at Chinese clinics.

Previously, Chinese clinics focused on traditional medicine. After their violations were revealed and reported on the local media, patients stayed away from these clinics. To lure patients again, these clinics have changed themselves from traditional medicine clinics into polyclinics. While waiting for licenses, they kept operating.

Son said that Chinese clinics would be fined under the law. Regarding to their expensive services, the official said that clinics have the right to set prices but they have to post up their price lists.

According to the Health Ministry, there are nearly 70 Chinese doctors granted practitioner certificates in Vietnam, mainly in Hanoi and HCM City.

In the latest inspection, a Chinese traditional medicine clinic in HCM City was discovered to commit many violations, including overcharging patients, offering health services beyond its license’s scope, using health workers without practitioner’s certificates, and selling unapproved medicines. Many Chinese “doctors” rapidly fled the clinic at 141 Phan Dang Luu Street in Phu Nhuan District when the health inspection team came to inspect the facility.

Phuong Lan