Ambulance driver charged 21 million VND for a 200km journey; hospital suspends 3 people.

Tài xế xe cấp cứu thu 21 triệu đồng cho quãng đường 200km, bệnh viện tạm đình chỉ 3 người - Ảnh 1. — Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 - Photo: THANH CONG

According to a leader of the Bac Ninh Provincial Department of Health , Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 has just submitted an initial report regarding complaints about an ambulance driver charging 21 million VND for a 200km journey.

The Department of Health requests the director of Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 to urgently investigate and verify the citizens' feedback, and strictly handle any violations (if any) by the relevant organizations and individuals in accordance with current regulations.

The hospital is responsible for reporting and submitting the information to the department no later than August 28th.

Currently, Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 has decided to temporarily suspend three people from their duties: Ms. Nguyen Thi Thiu - an employee of the Intensive Care and Toxicology Department (head nurse on duty), Mr. Vu Van Giap - from the administrative department (driver transporting patients), and Mr. Nguyen Van Thang - from the Intensive Care and Toxicology Department (patient escort nurse).

Three individuals have been temporarily suspended pending an investigation into a citizen's complaint regarding an ambulance transporting a patient from Bac Ninh to Thai Nguyen (approximately 200km) and then charging 21 million VND.

The leadership of Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 also sent staff to work directly with the patient's family, organized meetings with relevant departments and wards, and requested individuals to provide reports.

xe cấp cứu - Ảnh 2. — Ambulances at Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 - Photo: THANH CONG

Previously, on social media, Ms. AT (residing in Hiep Luc, Thai Nguyen province) stated that on August 15th, her father, Mr. VT (a freelance worker), suddenly fell ill, was in critical condition, and was admitted to Bac Giang General Hospital (now Bac Ninh General Hospital 1).

After four days of treatment at the hospital, Mr. T's health did not improve, so his family signed a commitment to take him home and asked the hospital and the doctors in the department to provide an ambulance to transport him back.

"When the driver dropped them off at home, it was some guy. The family didn't have time to ask his name, they just asked how much it cost to get from Bac Giang to home. The driver asked how many kilometers it was, and the family said about 180-200km. The driver said they would calculate the fare based on distance from there, and that they wouldn't charge more than that, so there was nothing to worry about," the post stated.

At noon on August 19th, the ambulance carrying Ms. T.'s father departed from Bac Ninh to Thai Nguyen, a distance of approximately 200km. Upon arrival, the driver collected a total of 21 million VND for the trip, of which 4 million VND was for the accompanying doctor.

After the post was shared on social media, many people expressed outrage and considered the amount unreasonable. Subsequently, Ms. T. herself posted information stating that the ambulance driver had proactively contacted the family and returned 16 million VND.

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