Patients who had surgery on the O-arm system at Bach Mai Hospital received a refund.

Bach Mai Hospital has just issued a notice of reimbursement for patients who have performed technical services on the O-arm system at the Department of Orthopedics and Spine from November 2016 to June 2020.

Surgery using the O-arm system has been performed at Bach Mai Hospital since 2016 - Photo: BVCC

In the announcement today, November 13, Bach Mai Hospital said that it implemented Official Dispatch No. 2563 dated October 16, 2024 of the Investigation Police Agency - Ministry of Public Security , requesting Bach Mai Hospital to receive and handle evidence related to the case showing signs of violations in the process of implementing the joint venture project, joint installation of O-arm machine and Navigation surgical positioning system of Binh An Technical Technology Joint Stock Company at Bach Mai Hospital.

Accordingly, Bach Mai Hospital will receive the money voluntarily paid by the subjects involved in the incident to remedy the consequences and refund the patients who used the service on this device.

Bach Mai Hospital informs all patients who have performed technical services on the O-arm system at the Department of Orthopedics and Spine, Bach Mai Hospital from November 2016 to June 2020 to come to the hospital to receive a refund according to regulations.

The refund period will last until March 31, 2025. Patients can come to the hospital to receive money directly or receive a transfer.

Previously in November 2016, Bach Mai Hospital inaugurated and put into operation the O-arm system at the hospital's orthopedic and spine trauma department.

The system is part of a joint venture project to install the O-arm machine and the Navigation surgical positioning system of Binh An Technical Technology Joint Stock Company at Bach Mai Hospital. This is a high-tech device, a very rare surgical "robot" at that time.

However, in 2020, a series of equipment in the joint venture and association project at Bach Mai Hospital showed signs of violating criminal law, as stipulated in Article 356 of the Penal Code for the crime of "abusing position and power while performing official duties", specifically inflating the price of the machine and thereby increasing the price of the service that patients have to pay.

In 2020, the Supreme People's Procuracy prosecuted the director of Bach Mai Hospital at that time and 7 other defendants for "abusing position and power while performing official duties".

To date, the medical equipment and devices involved in the case remain unused. The companies have resolved the issues, so patients can receive a refund for the costs of treatment with these techniques.

At this National Assembly session, a delegate expressed the opinion that "machines are not guilty" and proposed more reasonable measures when handling cases in the medical field such as this specific case.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-benh-thuc-hien-phau-thuat-tren-he-thong-o-arm-tai-benh-vien-bach-mai-duoc-hoan-tien-20241113152601997.htm