Ho Chi Minh City Health Department orders investigations into medical errors and counterfeit drugs

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has issued directives to address various medical service failures and fraudulent activities. Following a period of monitoring, the department reported 163 complaints between September 25 and October 25, including issues with patient files being misplaced, unclear medical instructions, and improper fee collection.

In one notable incident, a patient waited 1.5 hours for an examination only for their medical records to be discovered forgotten in a desk drawer. The department has instructed medical facilities to implement electronic tracking for files and ensure staff proactively communicate delays to patients.

Separately, the department is investigating the counterfeiting of traditional medicine products. An inspection of Giang's Care Healthcare Co., Ltd. revealed that the company had been repackaging various medicines and creating counterfeit labels to impersonate products from the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Traditional Medicine, as well as products from FPT Long Chau Pharmaceutical JSC and Gia Hung business household. Authorities are working with the Traditional Medicine Administration to clarify regulations regarding the business of traditional medicines.