Laser lithotripsy case during machine breakdown: Two Department Heads Prosecuted

On September 22, Colonel Vo Duy Tuan, Deputy Director and Head of the Investigation Police Agency of Dak Lak Province Police, said that he had conducted legal proceedings, initiated criminal proceedings, prosecuted the accused and applied temporary detention measures against two heads of departments at the Central Highlands General Hospital related to "laser lithotripsy while the machine was broken."

Accordingly, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoang, Head of the Department of Nephrology and Urology and Mr. Bui Ngoc Duc, Head of the Department of Surgery and Anesthesia (Central Highlands General Hospital) were prosecuted and temporarily detained for the crime of "Tay van position and power while performing official duties" as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 356 of the Penal Code.

Initial investigation results determined that from March 28, 2024 to May 15, 2024 and from May 28, 2024 to December 31, 2024, at the Central Highlands General Hospital, the laser lithotripsy machine was broken and unusable.

Mr. Hoang and Mr. Duc still performed endoscopic lithotripsy contrary to the procedure (recorded on 255 medical records that performed techniques using laser machines).

In total, 235 health insurance cases were paid more than 273 million VND by Dak Lak Provincial Social Insurance; patients co-paid more than 33 million VND; 20 non-insurance cases, patients self-paid more than 25 million VND.

The hospital also paid for surgery and procedures for 255 cases with a total amount of more than 60 million VND.

The actions of the two defendants caused a loss of over VND273 million to the health insurance fund and nearly VND60 million to the patient’s property. In addition, the incident seriously affected the reputation of the Central Highlands General Hospital and the rights and health of the patients.

The Dak Lak Provincial Police Investigation Agency is continuing to expand the investigation, clarifying the behavior of related individuals to strictly handle them according to the law.

Previously, VNA reporters reported that the laser lithotripsy machine of the Central Highlands General Hospital (put into use since 2015) had reduced capacity.

The hospital "borrowed" a laser lithotripsy machine from the end of November 2023 to May 30, 2024 to treat the patient./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/vu-tan-soi-laser-trong-thoi-gian-may-hong-khoi-to-hai-truong-khoa-post1063310.vnp