Bình Thuận General Hospital. — Photo dantri.com.vn

BÌNH THUẬN — It’s important to respect traffic rules, but are they always a matter of life and death?

One ambulance driver in southern Việt Nam certainly seems to think so, as he reportedly abandoned a patient to get his vehicle registration renewed.

According to the Voice of Việt Nam online, on July 16, Đặng Khánh Hoà, driver of the ambulance, was transporting a patient with leg inflammation from Bình Thuận General Hospital in the eponymous province some 185 km to Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City for treatment.

Mid-way, when the ambulance reached Long Khánh City of Đồng Nai Province, the patient asked to stop for a short break.

Little did the patient expect that Hoà would take the opportunity to drive to the city’s vehicle registration office to renew the ambulance’s registration.

To get the car onto the inspection zone, Hoà placed the patient’s stretcher on the ground, which prompted a bystander to take a photo and send it to Bình Thuận authorities.

The officials at the registration office were alarmed at the situation and refused to carry out the inspection at first, but Hoà insisted he was really worried about the possibility of being fined by traffic police.

After being notified of the incident, the hospital told Hoà to stop the registration procedures and immediately resume the trip.

Hoà claimed that he had already asked for permission from the patient and their family but this didn't change the fact that this is a big mistake on his part, Bình Thuận hospital said, adding that it already suspended Hoà from work.

The hospital has made a report to Bình Thuận Province’s health department and set up a working group to determine the penalty for Hoà, according to the province’s health department. — VNS