On April 23, the Ministry of Health ordered the health departments of the northern provinces of Hung Yen, Bac Ninh and the central province of Quang Ngai, to submit in writing all treatment procedures followed and those responsible for nursing three pregnant women, who ultimately died.
Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Department of Health Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, stressed that if the local health departments were covering up the truth, the ministry would then establish an inspection team to assess the three cases.
One of the three pregnant women, Tran Thi Loan, 34, died at the Kinh Bac General Hospital in the northern province of Bac Ninh. People flocked to the hospital to react angrily to her death and that of her unborn child.
According to a source, the victim’s family had told doctors at the hospital that the pregnant woman should have a cesarean but the doctors refused, saying that she was healthy enough for a natural childbirth.
The hospital has now decided to suspend Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Tan and nurse Nguyen Thi Hien from work for further investigation.
As of now, inspectors from the Department of Health have asked the hospital to suspend normal functioning, until it can ensure of secure facilities and skills of its doctors.
