Taking traditional medicine to cure the disease, the tumor does not decrease, it increases

Medical news update July 23rd: Taking traditional Vietnamese medicine to treat illness, tumors do not shrink, but grow larger.

Currently, there is no scientific evidence to prove that traditional Vietnamese medicine can shrink kidney tumors. Patients need to undergo surgery to remove the tumor.

Kidney cysts are very common.

A massive tumor in her left kidney was compressing her abdomen, causing it to swell as if she were six months pregnant. Ms. NTT (40 years old, Long An province ) went to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for examination due to abdominal distension. An ultrasound revealed a 20cm cyst in her kidney, and laparoscopic surgery was recommended, but she refused due to fear of surgery.

Doctors are performing surgery on a patient with a cyst.

Instead, she bought traditional Vietnamese medicine to treat herself at home. She took the medicine regularly twice a day, morning and afternoon. After about a year of taking the medicine, her kidney tumor did not shrink but grew larger, causing her to feel heavy, painful, uncomfortable, and her abdomen to swell like she was six months pregnant, so she decided to go to the hospital to seek treatment.

Dr. Pham Thanh Truc, a specialist in Urology at the Center for Urology, Nephrology, and Andrology at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, performed a CT scan on Ms. T., which revealed a very large cyst in her left kidney, occupying almost the entire abdominal cavity. This was the cause of her enlarged abdomen, accompanied by pain and discomfort.

Dr. Truc stated that there is currently no scientific evidence to prove that traditional Vietnamese medicine can shrink kidney tumors. Patients need to undergo surgery to remove the tumor.

According to Doctor Thanh Truc, kidney cysts are fluid-filled sacs that develop on the surface of the kidney. Kidney cysts can appear in one or both kidneys. A single kidney may develop one or more cysts. Most kidney cysts are benign; malignant cases are rare.

Kidney cysts are very common, with incidence increasing with age. It is estimated that approximately 25% of people aged 40 and older, and 50% of people aged 50 and older, will be found to have kidney cysts. The size of kidney cysts can increase over time.

The initial symptoms of kidney cysts are vague or absent. Patients often discover kidney cysts incidentally during abdominal imaging procedures such as ultrasound, CT scans, or MRI scans. When the cyst grows large, it can compress other organs, causing pain, discomfort, heaviness, and abdominal distension.

Most small, benign kidney cysts do not require treatment. When the cyst becomes too large and compresses internal organs, surgery is recommended to remove it completely. Additionally, kidney cysts can be treated by aspiration, but this method is rarely used due to its high recurrence rate.

Kidney cysts are usually harmless. However, large cysts can lead to complications such as infection, urinary obstruction, rupture, and bleeding.

Dr. Truc advises that people with kidney cysts should strictly follow their doctor's instructions and treatment guidelines. Under no circumstances should they self-medicate with Western medicine, traditional medicine, or herbal remedies at home.

Medical expenses covered by health insurance fund have increased.

According to data from the Vietnam Social Insurance, the estimated average utilization rate of the Health Insurance Fund nationwide in the first six months of the year was 50.6%. Notably, along with the increase in the number of health insurance-covered medical examinations and treatments, the average cost per examination and treatment in the first six months of 2024 also increased by approximately 8.6% compared to the same period in 2023…

According to Le Van Phuc, Head of the Health Insurance Policy Implementation Department (Vietnam Social Security), in the first six months of the year, more than 88 million people nationwide visited the hospital for medical examinations and treatment under health insurance, an increase of 6.3% compared to the same period last year. The inpatient rate was 9.98%, an increase of 0.08% compared to the same period last year.

In the first six months of 2024, medical facilities requested payments from the Health Insurance Fund totaling VND 66,299 billion, an increase of 16.3% compared to the same period last year.

Regarding the cost structure, it is noteworthy that the cost of hospital beds and medical supplies accounts for a large proportion and is trending upwards.

It is estimated that in the first six months of the year, the average utilization rate of the Health Insurance Fund nationwide was 50.6%. Meanwhile, according to the estimated expenditure for the whole year of 2024, with provinces where expenditures in the first six months have already reached 48% of the budget, the likelihood of exceeding the budget for the whole year of 2024 is very high unless strong and decisive cost control measures are implemented.

According to statistics from the Health Insurance Claims Information System, in the first five months of 2024, the Social Insurance agency automatically and proactively rejected claims for medical examination and treatment expenses that did not comply with regulations after the assessment process, totaling 209.7 billion VND (equivalent to 0.28% of the total claims)...

However, according to Head of Department Le Van Phuc, the decisive solutions and directives of the Vietnam Social Insurance have yielded positive results in controlling the costs of medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance.

Accordingly, the number of health insurance-covered medical examinations and treatments in June decreased by 9% nationwide compared to May, with a decrease in all provinces. The amount of health insurance payments for medical examinations and treatments in June decreased by nearly 8% nationwide, with a decrease in all provinces.

A quick report from provincial social insurance agencies in May 2024 shows that most provinces implemented cost monitoring and control measures as directed by the Vietnam Social Insurance. The amount of medical examination and treatment expenses covered by health insurance in June decreased by nearly 8% nationwide, with all provinces experiencing a decline.

Of these, Thai Binh and Ha Giang saw the largest decreases of over 15%; Hai Duong decreased by 14.8%; Kien Giang, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, and Ha Nam decreased by more than 13%. The average cost per medical examination and treatment visit nationwide from March to May showed a gradual downward trend, especially in May when only 3 provinces had average costs that increased by more than 1%.

According to Nguyen Duc Hoa, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Insurance, the goal of controlling medical examination and treatment costs under health insurance in Vietnam is to optimize costs, thereby ensuring resources are best protected for the rights of participants. Therefore, stricter discipline and order are needed in this activity.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tin-moi-y-te-ngay-237-uong-thuoc-nam-chua-benh-khoi-u-khong-giam-cang-tang-d220582.html