This happened at the Hong Phong General Clinic in Haiphong, Vietnam. Local media said that after an investigation by Haiphong police, prosecutors have brought a case against the clinic for alleged extortion and tax evasion, with a total of 19 suspects placed under formal investigation. Those involved include doctors and medical staff, as well as 5 foreign nationals.
Information from the police investigation mentioned that the clinic belongs to Haiphong Medical Services Co., Ltd. It began operating in March 2017 and is located in An Bien Ward, Haiphong. The actual investor is alleged to be Chinese national Lin Weimin. He hired the company’s manager and deputy manager to handle daily operations.
The scheme in the case was not complicated: first, get people through the door. Most patients searched social media for information on andrology or gynecology, then contacted the clinic’s website, and were steered to the clinic by customer service calls or online consultations. Once patients were on the operating table or in treatment, the doctors and nurses involved were accused of deliberately causing them severe pain and panic, then describing their condition as more serious in order to force them to give up the standard option they had originally chosen and switch to so-called “premium surgery packages,” with the cost suddenly jumping to several times the original price, or even higher.
Haiphong police set up a special task force to investigate the matter after receiving reports. An official said the investigation was carried out according to procedure, with an effort to avoid both overlooking crimes and wronging innocent people. So far, police have prosecuted 19 suspects on charges of “coercing property” and “tax evasion,” and the case is still under investigation.
For many people seeking treatment for these kinds of conditions, the first reaction is to take out their phones and search, then follow the guidance of customer service; this is a very common path locally. With motorcycle exhaust drifting through the streets in waves, people may have walked into the clinic thinking only of getting a routine checkup, not expecting to be pushed step by step into expensive procedures. Police are now also calling on anyone who went to the clinic and encountered forced price increases or was pressured into switching to high-priced services to proactively contact the police and assist with the investigation.
