Thanh Hóa Ambulance Charged 5 Million Dong for 16 Kilometers, Raising Impersonation Suspicions

Thanh Hóa health authorities have asked provincial police to investigate an ambulance trip that charged a patient’s family more than 5 million dong for a journey of about 16 kilometers. The department said the case showed signs that someone had impersonated medical staff, harmed patients’ rights and damaged the reputation of the provincial health sector.

The family of Huỳnh Tú Khanh said it hired an ambulance on Aug. 14 to take his 58-year-old father, identified as H.B.Đ, from Thanh Hóa Provincial General Hospital to their home in Sầm Sơn. A man wearing a white medical coat on the vehicle advised the family to buy vasopressor medication, saying it would help prolong the patient’s life.

The family bought seven vials at 600,000 dong each and paid 4.2 million dong for them. The total amount paid to the people involved reached 9.5 million dong, including the transport charge. Initial police findings said the substance presented as the medication was Adrenaline bought on the market for 4,000 dong per vial.

The health department said the ambulance and the person in the white coat were not vehicles or staff of Thanh Hóa Provincial General Hospital. Relatives had arranged the vehicle and medication themselves. However, because the family reported that someone in medical clothing had advised them to buy the drug, the department said the case warranted investigation.

Police summoned three people: ambulance owner Nguyễn Công Khánh, driver Võ Đại Trường Lâm and Lê Trọng Hải Anh, a student at Thanh Hóa Medical College. Investigators said Khánh accepted the transport job, assigned Lâm to collect the patient, and Lâm contacted Hải Anh to take part. Lâm discussed transport, ventilator rental and equipment costs with the family, while Hải Anh advised them to buy the medication.