Vice chairwoman of Hanoi People's Committee, Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc has asked local Department of Health to tighten control over private clinics.
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| A patient died after receiving treatment at the Maria Clinic |
Public concern was raised when a patient died on July 14 after she was treated by an unlicensed foreign doctor at the Maria Clinic on Thai Thinh Street.
The Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien gave some directives to deal with such problems. She said that a number of clinics remain to take advantage of people by selling fake drugs and using unlicensed doctors, while still charging higher fees than their listed prices. In addition, the management and inspection of these facilities is lacking.
Tien asked that local agencies step up inspections and give highest sanctions to clinics in violation of the law. Sanctions could include revoking medical licenses of doctors or licenses of entire clinics. She also encouraged individuals to report any violations to the authorities.
The Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the Department of Information and Communications will closely manage advertisements for health services and make public the ones that misrepresent their treatments. A list of the such clinics and their specific violations will be made public.
