Medical quackery of Chinese-run clinics in HCM City exposed

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters have disguised themselves as patients in order to reveal their scams.

On March 20, one journalist presented himself as a patient suffering from hemorrhoids at the The Gioi (World) Polyclinic on Vo Van Kiet Street, District 5, and was introduced to a Taiwanese doctor.

The ‘patient’ was directed to an endoscopy procedure room, in which there was one bed and a simple endoscope.

The Taiwanese doctor quickly diagnosed the patient with internal hemorrhoids, while his assistant showed the undercover reporter images from the supposed endoscopy procedure.

A Chinese doctor (second left) is seen working with a patient at the Hong Bang polyclinic in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City.

The Tuoi Tre reporter then questioned their authenticity, and asked for additional images in support of the doctor’s diagnosis.

Under pressure, the assistant said that she had lost the files and immediately offered another endoscopy in an attempt to regain the patient’s trust.

On quoting prices to resolve the problem, the reporter was told that the internal hemorrhoids could be removed with a specialized machine at a cost of VND8.8 million (US$395), or with a piece of electronic equipment for VND6.8 million (US$305).

Noting the reaction of the fake patient, the Taiwanese doctor said that the disease is typically difficult to treat, adding that the machine used was cutting-edge technology from Germany, and utilized exclusively at that clinic.

The clinician and his assistant then showed the correspondent several more graphic images of internal hemorrhoids, warning of the horrifying complications that could develop if not promptly treated.

The doctor then rejected the patient’s request for prescribed medications, repeating that the hemorrhoids should be removed using the tools described, as the reporter refused to go ahead with any form of surgery.

Patients wait at the The Gioi polyclinic in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.

Even as the reporter was leaving the facility, one of the clinic’s employees approached him, continuing to harp on the consequences of the disease.

“It could lead to cancer. The cost of surgery at that stage would be up to VND20 million (US$897),” the employee said, before offering a temporary loan of VND3 million (US$135) in case the patient could not afford the full price.

A similar situation was also observed at the Elizabeth Polyclinic on Thanh Thai Street, District 10, as doctors there continuously warned another ‘patient’ about horrible complications, accompanied by graphic photos of the disease, in a clear attempt to convince them to go ahead with minor surgery, according to the reporter.

In another case, on March 29, one Tuoi Tre journalist visited Cong Hoa Oriental Clinic in Tan Binh District to report a common sinus problem, sinusitis, and was diagnosed by a Chinese doctor.

Though the clinician said only a few sentences, his interpreter spoke about the patient's treatment, saying that it would take two months of medication to cure, at a total cost of VND24 million (US$1,076).

He added that her sinusitis could only be resolved by the medication of this clinic, which was made by the doctor himself.

After the correspondent refused the expensive treatment, the interpreter tried to intimidate her with the consequences of the common condition.

Victims calling for help

Prior to the Tuoi Tre probe, several readers had contacted the newspaper to share their experiences of this type of medical quackery.

Q.B.D., 29, from District 10, went to the The Gioi polyclinic to have a urological condition diagnosed in December 2015, and was introduced to a Chinese doctor.

After paying VND1 million (US$445) for the diagnosis, D. was then advised to undergo circumcision at VND5 million (US$224).

During the surgery, D. was told that he should have the dorsal nerve of his penis cut to treat premature ejaculation at a cost of between VND7 million (US$314) and VND9 million (US$404), and was later treated on a ‘specialized’ machine to boost his recovery at a further cost of VND2 million (US$89).

“I had to spend nearly VND15 million (US$673) within only a few hours at the clinic,” D. recalled.

He then had to return to the facility for a week for recovery therapy, at an extra expense of VND14 million (US$628).

“They said if I did not return for the treatment, they would not be responsible for any emerging problems,” D. said.

“The surgical wound took two months to heal while my condition did not improve at all,” the victim stated.

In another case, D.H.T.P., 28, also from District 10, was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy, and was wrongly diagnosed and treated by a female doctor from China at the Hong Bang clinic in District 6, costing about VND5 million (US$224).

As her condition deteriorated post-treatment, P. was taken to the emergency room at the Saigon International Obst-gynec Hospital and discovered the real cause of her problem.

When P. contacted the clinic later to complain, she could not even reach the operator. The phone number she had been given no longer existed.