Is the examination just for show?

For many years, the practice of "buying and selling" health certificates for school admissions, employment, exams, or driver's license renewals has been commonplace. Numerous medical facilities have been discovered and penalized by authorities for this violation. However, alongside this "buying and selling," another equally worrying issue exists in some medical facilities but is rarely discussed: the practice of conducting examinations merely for the sake of appearances.

Doctors fulfilling their responsibilities in conducting health examinations for those taking driving tests or renewing driver's licenses also contribute to reducing traffic accidents (Image for illustrative purposes only) .

During our reporting on this issue, we visited a private clinic in Thai Nguyen City to observe the medical examination process for obtaining a Class B driver's license. The procedure for this health check-up surprised us greatly.

In just about 30 minutes, the patient completed all the steps and received a certificate with the conclusion "fit to drive a Class B vehicle." What's noteworthy is that while many other areas should have been examined, the patient only had their blood pressure, eyesight, and urine tested. Other areas such as mental health, neurological, and musculoskeletal examinations were simply filled out as "normal" by the doctor after one or two questions.

Medical examinations for school, work, or driver's license renewal are mandatory procedures to assess whether a person is healthy enough. The purpose of renewing a driver's license is to evaluate a driver's ability to operate a vehicle, ensuring they do not suffer from medical conditions that affect traffic safety, such as cardiovascular, neurological, vision, or slow reflexes. However, this objective is sometimes overlooked due to examinations that are merely perfunctory.

In the current context, where traffic accidents remain a major concern for society as a whole, neglecting the health check-up process for drivers – especially car drivers – is a matter that cannot be taken lightly. A person with health problems who is still granted a driver's license renewal poses a significant risk to themselves and the community. If vehicle inspection is necessary to ensure technical safety, then health checks should also be considered a "human screening" – the first step in eliminating potential risks on the road.

Therefore, to tighten control over this work, first and foremost, the authorities need to conduct a review, strengthen inspections and surprise checks, and strictly punish violating units. Only facilities with sufficient professional capacity, infrastructure, and adherence to proper procedures should be allowed to continue conducting examinations.

On the part of medical facilities, especially doctors—those authorized to sign examination reports—they need to enhance their professional responsibility. A seemingly simple "normal" conclusion could be the lifeline of an entire family if the driver experiences health problems on the road.

Don't compromise your integrity by being lenient and catering to a particular group of customers in order to compete with other facilities, as this could inadvertently create unforeseen dangers for both the patient and others.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202505/kham-cho-co-53d2e10/