Taking a dying mother from the hospital to her home, only 12km away, the ambulance charged 2.4 million VND.

A family in Ninh Binh just had to pay 2.4 million VND to hire an ambulance to take their dying relative home, even though the distance was only about 12km.

Receipt of 2.4 million VND for the 12km distance from Hung Yen Provincial General Hospital to Bac Ly commune, Ninh Binh - Photo: Provided by the character

2.4 million VND for a 12km distance

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online on October 16, Mr. Tran Van Ung (43 years old, residing in Bac Ly commune, Ninh Binh province) said that for a distance of 12km, he had to pay 2.4 million VND including many expenses that he found unreasonable.

Previously, on October 2, Mr. Ung took his mother to Hung Yen General Hospital for examination and treatment. By the early morning of October 4, because his mother's condition had worsened, the family agreed to let her go home so that relatives could take care of her. Mr. Ung asked the hospital to contact a 115 ambulance to take his mother home, about 12km from the hospital.

"After taking my mother home, the driver informed me that the total transportation cost was 2.4 million VND. As a transportation service provider, I found this price quite high and discussed it with the ambulance crew.

The staff then instructed me to connect to a phone number for discussion. At that time, my family was very confused, so I paid the requested amount and asked to write a receipt," Ung recounted.

After taking care of his mother's funeral, on October 14, Mr. Ung shared his story on social media to ask people's opinions on whether the fee of 2.4 million VND for an ambulance to transport a patient 12km was reasonable.

"I found this price too high so I posted the bill on social media to ask for people's opinions," Mr. Ung shared.

The post immediately attracted attention, receiving hundreds of comments expressing concerns, saying that the fee was unreasonable for the actual distance.

Mr. Ung also said he contacted the 115 Hung Yen Emergency Transport Center to raise questions.

Then, the staff provided him with a detailed quote from the shipping unit, including many costs such as the doctor's fee for squeezing the balloon, the driver's fee, gasoline, vehicle depreciation, oxygen tank, telephone service fee, toxic elements...

However, he found this fee unsatisfactory. "After the article was published, many people were interested, and the center wanted to return the money. However, I did not agree," Mr. Ung said, adding that he shared the incident not because he wanted to get his money back but to clarify this fee.

"I just hope the unit can review the fee to make it more appropriate to ease the suffering of patients," said Mr. Ung.

12km distance from Hung Yen Provincial General Hospital to Bac Ly commune, Ninh Binh - Photo: Screenshot

What does Hung Yen 115 Emergency Center say?

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Cao Quy Chi, Director of the 115 Hung Yen Emergency Transport Center, confirmed that he had received the feedback and had worked with and shared with the family.

Mr. Chi explained that the price of 2.4 million VND is not only for gas or driver's fee. In this case, the patient was transported at dawn, around 1:00 a.m., and was in a dying state. Therefore, the patient needed respiratory support in the vehicle.

"During the 12km transport, the technician continuously performed respiratory support bag compression. Therefore, this additional cost item was incurred. At the same time, in addition to the transport cost, there are depreciation costs, toxic allowances, telephone service costs, etc.," Mr. Chi explained.

According to Mr. Chi, if technical services such as balloon pumping or supplies are not used, the 12km journey will cost about 1 million VND. Each transport will depend on the technical service items that the patient uses.

"This price list for emergency care has been posted and operated by the center for many years now. After Mr. Ung's feedback, the center will review and recalculate to come up with a reasonable price that balances the patient's and the center's operating costs," said Mr. Chi.

He also said that in reality, operating an ambulance is difficult, so the price of this type of transport is high.

Many ambulance trips do not collect money due to many objective reasons such as no relatives, patients passing away before transport... If not calculated carefully, it is very difficult to operate.

Detailed price list of 115 Emergency Center for emergency transportation services - Photo: Character provided

There is no general price frame for emergency transportation services.

According to current regulations, there is no unified price framework nationwide for emergency transportation services. Depending on each unit, if the price is calculated according to the list of medical techniques performed, there will be different fees. In addition, each locality builds its own price list, usually decided by the People's Committee of the province or city.

This also means that the price of 115 emergency transport in provinces and cities can vary significantly, depending on the facilities, human resources and list of techniques used during the transport process.

In Hanoi, the 115 Emergency Center has a fixed price list for transportation distances under 5km, under 10km or from 10-20km, ranging from 500,000 - 850,000 VND, including on-site emergency care and transportation to the hospital.

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Ha Anh Duc, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ministry of Health said that the Ministry of Health is currently developing a project for emergency care outside the hospital. In which, it is expected to develop appropriate emergency transport prices to apply nationwide, with reasonable and unified costs to ensure the rights of patients.

WILLOW

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dua-me-hap-hoi-tu-benh-vien-ve-nha-chi-12km-xe-cap-cuu-thu-2-4-trieu-dong-20251016154833586.htm