SGGP
On August 15th, the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper published an article titled "Father ripped off by ambulance fare, runs out of money to buy coffin for his son." Immediately after the article was published, public opinion expressed outrage at the indifferent and insensitive attitude of the ambulance company, as well as condemning the shortcomings surrounding this type of transportation.
On August 15th, the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper published an article titled "Father Extorted by Ambulance Driver, Lacks Money to Buy Coffin for Son," reflecting the situation where a father took his son to Ho Chi Minh City for emergency treatment but the son did not survive, leaving him without enough money to buy a coffin. Immediately after the article was published, public opinion expressed outrage at the indifferent and heartless attitude of the ambulance company, as well as condemning the shortcomings surrounding this type of transportation.
There aren't enough hospital vehicles.
According to our investigation, in Ho Chi Minh City, many ambulance companies are licensed to transport patients, but there is no common price list regulating the fees for this type of service, leading to chaotic pricing and even exorbitant fares for patients. At noon on August 15th, posing as someone needing to transport a patient to Phuoc An City (Dak Lak province) at the emergency department of Cho Ray Hospital ( Ho Chi Minh City), we were introduced by security to an ambulance from the 115 Ambulance Transportation Service Company Limited in the Central Highlands. After some discussion, a company employee stated that the price was over 4 million VND, including a nurse and full equipment such as oxygen tanks and ventilators.
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Transferring a patient from an ambulance to Cho Ray Hospital on the morning of August 15, 2023. Photo: CAO THANG |
Continuing our contact with the 115 National Company Limited to arrange transportation for a patient from Go Cong Dong District Medical Center (Tien Giang Province) to Cho Ray Hospital for treatment, we were quoted 1.7 million VND, with the vehicle fully equipped with medical equipment. If we requested a medical staff member to accompany the patient, the price would be 2.4 million VND.
For a similar journey, an employee of VN Healthcare (a ambulance service company in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Thanh District) quoted a price of 3.2 million VND, including a medical staff member to provide care and a fully equipped ventilator and oxygen tank. “The company will be responsible for contacting the Go Cong Dong District Health Center to arrange for an ambulance from the district to transport the patient to Cho Ray Hospital, saving the family some costs. If the ambulances in the district cannot meet the family's requirements, the company will arrange for a vehicle to take the patient to Ho Chi Minh City for timely treatment,” the employee added.
Currently, many organizations and individuals, acting as philanthropists, are supporting patient transportation at zero cost, helping patients in difficult circumstances. A prime example is the "Zero-Cost Charity Ambulance Team" in Tra On district, Vinh Long province, which has two ambulances and provides completely free transportation for patients within Tra On district to hospitals in Vinh Long and Can Tho .
In addition, the "Tay Ninh 0-Dong Volunteer Ambulance Team" has actively supported and assisted in transporting patients from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh or vice versa at no cost (contact number: 0823.999.115). Besides assisting with patient transport, the team also helps and mobilizes benefactors to support families in difficult circumstances with some funeral expenses.
In Hanoi, many large hospitals such as Bach Mai, Viet Duc, and K... only have ambulance and patient transport fleets that can meet a small fraction of the needs of patients, so most patients have to use ambulances from outside. Mr. Pham Huy T. (from Luong Son, Hoa Binh) shared: “My brother was in an accident and brought here for emergency treatment, but because his injuries were very serious and unlikely to survive, the hospital advised taking him home, but they didn't have an ambulance available immediately. Feeling anxious, I hired an ambulance from outside and had to pay nearly 3 million VND for the 50-kilometer journey from the hospital to Luong Son.”
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Many ambulance companies transport emergency patients to Cho Ray Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: BUI TUAN |
Meanwhile, at K Tan Trieu Hospital, due to the large number of patients, there are always more than 10 ambulances stationed outside the hospital, ready to pick up patients when needed. There are even some "brokers" soliciting patients right in the hospital grounds and at the payment area, leading many to mistakenly believe they are hospital staff and pay larger sums than regulated.
Strict management and enforcement.
According to representatives from several hospitals, investing in ambulances requires significant funding. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has not yet issued specific regulations regarding the number of ambulances, so many hospitals are not focusing on purchasing vehicles but instead mainly partner with external emergency transport units. Furthermore, relevant ministries and agencies have not yet established specific regulations on the cost of transporting patients or their bodies, leading to chaotic pricing. According to the Vietnam Transport Association, the lack of uniformity in ambulance management is a major reason for the disarray in this type of service.
Sharing the same view, Associate Professor, Doctor Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City), believes that the practice of overcharging patients is mainly carried out by some ambulance transport companies operating under false pretenses. The hospital has instructed its administrative department and security team to strengthen control, detection, and reporting of ambulances that overcharge and cause difficulties for patients. "The hospital has 10 ambulances, but they mainly serve staff. In some cases of emergency patient support, a fee will be charged, but it must be in accordance with regulations and no fees are allowed," Associate Professor, Doctor Le Dinh Thanh stated.
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health also issued a document requesting functional units to strengthen post-licensing inspections of emergency services and patient transport support services in Ho Chi Minh City. Violations will be strictly dealt with, and unlicensed facilities will be shut down.
Ambulance fare gouging scandal: What do the hospital and ambulance company have to say?
Regarding the case of the critically ill son of Mr. TMG (35 years old, residing in Ca Mau) who had to be transferred to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment and was allegedly overcharged by the ambulance service, leaving him without enough money to buy a coffin, the SGGP newspaper reported on August 15th that Dr. Truong Minh Kien, Deputy Director of the Ca Mau Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, stated that the family requested to transfer the child to Children's Hospital 1 using their own means of transportation, only asking for a referral letter as required. The hospital doctors did not provide any information or phone number for the person who arranged the ambulance from Ho Chi Minh City to transport the child to Children's Hospital 1.
For a long time, Ca Mau Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has had a strict regulation prohibiting staff from contacting outside ambulance services to transport patients to higher-level hospitals. Violators will be disciplined according to regulations. During treatment, if a patient needs to be transferred to another hospital, the hospital follows the prescribed transfer procedures. If the hospital lacks vehicles, it will contact Ca Mau General Hospital for assistance. Depending on the time (due to fluctuating fuel prices), a transfer with full medical staff and emergency equipment from Ca Mau to Ho Chi Minh City costs approximately 6-8 million VND. In cases where the patient's family is in difficult circumstances, they can contact the hospital's Social Work Department, which may arrange for a free transfer.
According to Mr. Le Hong Son, representative of Xuyen Viet 115 Transport Company, the unit responsible for transporting the child patient to the hospital, an ambulance trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau to pick up the child and take them safely to the hospital, with full equipment, nurses, doctors, oxygen ventilators, etc., costs 16 million VND, which is a reasonable price and not an exorbitant amount. "When people contact the service, the ambulance has to travel from Ho Chi Minh City for about 5-6 hours. The child's family agrees to the price offered by the company, and there is a contract in place; the company does not pressure people," Mr. Le Hong Son explained.
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