Prosecution of the case of using fake doctors, "faking illnesses to extort money" from patients on the operating table

The prosecuted subjects include Nguyen Thi My (born in 1985, residing in Kim Lien ward); Nguyen Kim Hoang Yen (born in 1980, residing in Dan Phuong ward, Hanoi city); Le Thi Nhung (born in 1992, residing in Tho Loc commune, Thanh Hoa province); Truong Thi Ha Lien (born in 1976), Truong Thi Kim Lua (born in 1995), Vo Thanh Trung (born in 1993) and Bui Thi Thuan (born in 1994), all residing in Da Nang city.

Da Nang International General Clinic has been operating for many years at 180 Tran Phu, Da Nang City. In 2024, this clinic was reported by the press for its behavior of "faking illnesses to get money". The Inspector of the Ministry of Health and the Inspector of the Da Nang Department of Health have pointed out a number of violations in the clinic's operations. However, this clinic has shown signs of "immunity" and continues to "deceive customers".

During the investigation, the police discovered that the clinic had recruited a number of qualified doctors, but in reality, it employed many fake doctors to directly examine and give medical orders to patients. These fake doctors did not have the required medical certificates or degrees, and some had not even finished 12th grade.

During the operation, the clinic's management team divided specific tasks for each employee and fake doctor, including consulting, performing procedures, and being a legal representative. Each person had their own tasks and were not allowed to communicate or learn about each other's work. All of these employees and fake doctors wore doctor's coats and fake name tags when consulting and treating customers at the Da Nang International General Clinic.

The clinic also has a rule for dealing with any sudden inspections from the Department of Health or the local police, forcing the fake doctors to immediately remove their name tags, hide in an inner room or go down to the basement through the exit designed by the clinic. The management tries to “buy time” for doctors with legitimate certificates from elsewhere to appear at the clinic.

According to the Police Department, the clinic registered a number of licensed doctors, but these doctors were rarely present at the facility. Instead, fake doctors would be on duty every day to perform examinations, perform gynecological and andrological procedures, perform abortions, provide consultations, create illnesses, and cause pain to extort money from customers many times higher than the listed price.

Specifically, these fake doctors will provide incorrect information about the patient’s condition and direct the customer to choose a service package with a high price. When the customer chooses a low-cost package, during the procedure, the staff here will try to cause pain to the patient right on the operating table or threaten the customer with complications of the patient’s illness, forcing them to switch to a service package with a much higher price.

Customers come to the clinic through online consultation for only 199k to 1 million VND, but when completing treatment here, they have to pay from 10 to 50 million VND for each type of service. Outraged by the blatant behavior of this clinic, some victims have sent a complaint to the Da Nang City Police.

Initially, the Investigation Agency determined that Da Nang International General Hospital Joint Stock Company had illegally profited at least 376 million VND from 17 customers who had used services at Da Nang International General Clinic recently.

According to information previously collected by CAND Newspaper, Da Nang International General Clinic also took advantage of a memorandum of understanding with a public hospital to vaguely advertise as a clinic affiliated with a public hospital and having many good doctors who studied abroad to deceive customers.

The case is under further investigation and clarification.