During that time, doctors cannot prescribe medicine for patients, leaving them in serious pain.

In HCM City, Cho Ray Hospital is the only medical facility equipped with a cyclotron system that provides F-18 radioactive drugs to hospitals with PET/CT machines, such as the HCM City Oncology Hospital and Military Hospital 175. However, the system has become old and cannot satisfy demand. As a result, patients have to wait a long time for the scans. Many people have to go to other cities or provinces, or even go abroad.

Patients told to wait

Two months ago, M.T, 60, from Tien Giang province, unexpectedly bled many years after menopause. She visited many hospitals in the province and then to Tu Du Hospital in HCM ity. Finally, she was transferred to the HCM City Oncology Hospital because of cervical cancer suspicion

At the Oncology Hospital, T was told to have a blood test and CT/MRI scans. She had to wait 5-7 days to get results for every test and scan. Two weeks ago, doctors told her to have PET/CT scan to accurately diagnose the stage of her disease. 

However, after registering, she was told to wait 10 days to have the scans. So, she decided to return home in Tien Giang and wait there.

H, the daughter of T, complained that when symptoms first appeared, she could carry her mother on motorbike to HCM City to save money. But later, when her mother’s situation got worse, they had to take a taxi to HCM City. Every trip cost them VND1 million.

As T had to wait to get the results of testing and scans, doctors could not prescribe drugs for her and the woman had to take pain relief medicine, though she knew the drug will harm her health.

“I cannot understand why it takes so much time to examine and diagnose a patient,” H complained. “My younger sister is a factory worker and she cannot take long leave to take our mother to HCM City. I just gave birth one month ago. I have to leave my baby at home to accompany my mother.”

H said that on the day when her mother had PET/CT scans, she saw another patient faint because of pain.

According to the HCM City Oncology Hospital, the majority of patients have to wait 10-14 days to have a PET/CT scans. 

K.P, 59, from An Giang has been diagnosed as contracting cervical cancer. She lives alone. Previously, when she was healthy, she did small business to earn her living.

In early July, she felt a stomachache and came to a hospital in An Giang for a medical examination. As doctors suspected that she had rectal cancer, she was forwarded to the HCM City Oncology Hospital, where doctors said she suffered from cervical cancer and proctitis.

As doctors discovered some more abnormalities, they told P to have PET/CT scan. And she had to wait 12 days until she had the scans as requested.

Just within one month, P had to travel between An Giang and HCM City five times for medical examination. Because of the frequent travel, plus the mental breakdown, she has lost 7 kilograms. Unable to go to HCM City alone, she has to hire a neighbor to accompany her to HCM City.

High treatment costs

M.T and K.P are just two of the patients from smaller provinces who have to come to HCM City for treatment. In addition to the advance of VND10 million they have to pay for PET/CT scan, they also have to pay many other kinds of expenses, including examination, travel, food and room rent in case they have to stay in HCM City. 

If hospitals in HCM City could arrange early PET/CT scans for patients, they would be able to save some money.

T, in HCM City, the mother of a 6-year-old patient, said she was ‘luckier’ than many other people. Her daughter was told to have PET/CT scan as doctors thought she contracted lymphoma. However, at that moment, all the hospitals in HCM City ran out of F-18 FDG and no one knew how much more time she and her daughter would have to wait.

Therefore, T herself contacted a hospital in Hanoi and registered to have PET/CT with the fee of VND25 million because scans are not covered by health insurance. Luckily, before the day of departure for Hanoi, she was informed that the necessary drugs were available and the daughter could have PET/CT scan in HCM City.

“The other patients who found out their diseases earlier than her daughter all had to go to Hanoi to have scans, because they could not wait any longer,” she said.

Khanh Hoa - Bach Duong