Each place has a price list.
In the role of a dog owner, a reporter from Hanoi Moi Newspaper surveyed several veterinary clinics in Hanoi and noted that prices vary from place to place. Specifically, for the same X-ray service for dogs with broken legs, a clinic in Ngoc Lam Ward (Long Bien District) quoted a price of VND290,000 per scan, while a veterinary hospital on Minh Khai Street (Hai Ba Trung District) charged VND350,000 and another facility on Le Duan Street (Dong Da District) listed a price of VND500,000. In addition, treatment costs after testing and diagnosis are also very different. For example, the price of a cast for a dog under 5kg ranges from VND950,000 to more than VND1.2 million, and the cost is higher if the weight is larger. If it is necessary to intervene with a splint or screw, the cost can increase from VND2 million to VND5 million.
Not only bone and joint treatment, but also other services have significant price differences. Abdominal ultrasound for dogs is 150,000 VND in some places, but some facilities quote up to 500,000 VND. Sterilization costs fluctuate widely from 500,000 VND to 2 million VND, depending on the facility, gender and weight of the pet. Caesarean section surgery for dogs and cats is also not uniform, from 2.5 million to 3.5 million VND...
A common point that is easily seen is that at many private veterinary clinics and hospitals, service prices are only listed as “references”, and the actual fee will be determined after the pet undergoes a series of tests and preliminary diagnosis. The lack of a specific, transparent price list makes many people “laugh and cry” when they have to pay more for treatment for their pets than for treatment for their sick family members.
Ms. Nguyen Thu Huyen in Ha Dong district said: “I had to spend more than 10 million VND for my dog to be hospitalized for 20 days to treat hemorrhoids. The inpatient treatment alone cost 500,000 VND/day, not including medicine and procedures”. Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh in Nam Tu Liem district said: “My family just spent more than 6 million VND to save an old dog with uterine inflammation. Of which, X-ray cost 370,000 VND, testing cost 600,000 VND, 3 injections of red blood cell stimulant (250,000 VND/dose), surgery cost 2.5 million VND and hospitalization cost 420,000 VND/day for 5 consecutive days. While a few weeks ago, when my father was hospitalized for surgery, the hospital fee was only about 5 million VND”.
Need specific legal corridor
The current “chaos” in veterinary service prices largely stems from the lack of a specific legal framework. Although the 2015 Veterinary Law and guiding documents such as Decree No. 35/2016/ND-CP of the Government detailing a number of articles of the Veterinary Law; Circular No. 07/2016/TT-BNNPTNT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) regulating the prevention and control of terrestrial diseases have been issued, the main content still focuses on the conditions for practice, quarantine and prevention and control of animal diseases. Regulations on price frames and ceiling prices for medical examination and treatment services for livestock are almost left open.
There are currently about 140 licensed private veterinary clinics in Hanoi, but it is difficult to deal with the chaotic situation regarding prices due to the lack of clear legal regulations. According to Nguyen Dinh Dang, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Veterinary Medicine (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment), private veterinary clinics are allowed to operate when they meet the requirements on personnel, facilities and are licensed according to regulations. Currently, each location has different levels of investment in facilities, infrastructure, equipment and human resources, so prices are not uniform. Moreover, there are currently only a few regulations on vaccination, hygiene, testing prices, etc. for veterinary services applied in public facilities; as for organizations and individuals providing treatment services for pets, there are no documents requiring them to set standard prices or to list specific prices.
“We are only responsible for assessing the hygiene conditions of the facilities and the staff conditions at private clinics and hospitals for pets, but we do not check the service prices. When using examination and treatment services for pets, people should research carefully, ask and agree on the price in advance. We will have recommendations to regulate service prices as well as require businesses to list specific prices so that people can easily refer to, compare and make appropriate choices,” Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dang informed.
The above situation shows that it is time to have a clear legal mechanism to regulate prices and service quality in the veterinary field, especially for specialized treatment services. A price ceiling and reference price for each type of service, along with mandatory regulations on public listing and transparency of costs, are necessary to ensure consumer rights.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/chong-loan-gia-dich-vu-thu-y-can-co-quy-dinh-minh-bach-704242.html
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