Staging a scheme to 'lure' patients.

Recently, Thai Nguyen Central Hospital has seen the appearance of "strangers" staging scenarios of "inquiring about and sharing medical conditions" to "lure" patients waiting for examinations, with the aim of selling drugs of unknown origin.

The hospital security team spoke with and questioned Ms. M. to clarify the details of the incident.

According to Ms. Hoang Thi M. (the victim), on July 15th, while waiting for her examination at the Outpatient Department, a woman approached her, shared information, and then offered to sell her a type of tuber called "Thien Ma" (Heavenly Horse) with many claimed benefits, which could help with her condition.

Believing the other woman was also suffering from the same illness, Ms. M agreed to buy 3 "Heavenly Horse" roots for 4 million VND. However, because Ms. M didn't have enough money, the woman offered to deliver them to her home, with an additional shipping fee of 100,000 VND.

After paying the amount and receiving 3 "Heavenly Horse" tubers, the next day, feeling suspicious about the type of tuber, Ms. M. took it to a traditional Chinese medicine shop to inquire, only to find out that this type of tuber is very cheap, costing only a few hundred thousand dong per kilogram.

On July 17th, Ms. M. returned to the hospital for a check-up and was approached again, following the same scenario as before. Ms. M. reported the incident to the hospital's security team. Initial information revealed the suspect was Ngo Thi B., born in 1963, residing in Tich Luong ward (formerly Trung Thanh ward, Thai Nguyen city); she was carrying 7 "Thien Ma" roots and over 4 million VND in cash; she had purchased these roots in Sa Pa to resell. After investigation, Ms. M. received back the full amount of 4.1 million VND.

In folk medicine, there is no such thing as "Tian Ma" root, only "Tian Ma" root. This is a traditional herbal medicine, first documented in the Shen Nong Materia Medica about two thousand years ago, and widely used in treatment. However, not everyone knows and uses this root correctly.

Following Ms. M.'s case, Thai Nguyen Central Hospital advises people to be vigilant when seeking medical treatment to avoid being scammed, losing money, or harming their health; not to trust offers or buy medicine from people of unknown origin, or medicine of unknown origin and not yet tested; and only to buy medicine with a doctor's prescription.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/phap-luat/202507/dan-canh-moi-chai-nguoi-benh-a730c21/