In a surprising turn of events, the authorities recently conducted a surprise inspection of a coffee shop in District 1 and discovered a woman administering intravenous fluids to customers without a practicing certificate or operating license. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health revealed that during the inspection on June 29, the Department’s Inspectorate visited a coffee shop on Hoang Sa Street where customers were enjoying coffee on the 2nd floor.
In a secluded area, a woman was seen giving an IV containing a 250 ml bottle of 0.9% NaCl mixed with vitamin B, vitamin C, and glucose to unsuspecting customers. The woman providing the “sea water infusion service” is 32 years old and claimed to have completed a one-year primary medical course at the 4th Army Corps in 2009. However, she did not possess a medical practice certificate and had only performed infusions at home for two clients in June, charging VND350,000 per person.
The Department Inspector issued an 80 million VND fine for practicing medicine without a certificate and operating without a license, instructing the woman to cease her activities until she obtained the necessary documentation. The authorities also found that the woman was promoting her services on Facebook as “Sea water infusion at home – Medical examination and treatment service at home in Ho Chi Minh City.” This page was managed by a medical service company in Binh Tan district that also advertised home IV services and medical examination and treatment but did not possess a license for such operations.
Further investigations led to VMEDI Medical Care Services Company Limited, which operated as a family medical equipment store without any license for medical examination and treatment. The company director explained that they had briefly provided home infusions in the past but had stopped. However, they then established an online platform to connect customers with doctors and nurses for home healthcare services, with over 40 registered accounts including 20 healthcare professionals approved to participate in activities.
