Doctors at the National Children's Hospital tend to the injured child. Photo courtesy of the hospital

HÀ NỘI — Several medical workers at Nam Định General Hospital have been suspended from work following reports that they refused to admit a four-year-old child in an emergency due to unpaid hospital fees.

According to the provincial Department of Health, the hospital has accepted responsibility for the error in its emergency care response involving the young child.

The boy was taken to the hospital by local residents at around 4pm on May 3 after reportedly being run over by a homemade three-wheeled vehicle.

One of the individuals who took the child to the hospital claimed that doctors delayed emergency treatment because he was unable to pay the full amount required.

In a video circulated on social media, the boy, pale and unresponsive, is seen being carried by a young man to the entrance of the emergency room.

“I ran a red light to get the child here, but I only had VNĐ500,000 (about US$19). The doctors said they wouldn’t treat him without full payment,” the man said, adding that the child was left without care for about 10 minutes after arrival.

At around 5pm the same day, the child's parents arrived. The emergency medical team informed them of the child's condition, and the family agreed with the hospital's proposed plan to transfer the patient to the National Children's Hospital in Hà Nội.

In response to the incident, Nam Định General Hospital has begun a review of its patient admission and emergency procedures.

The hospital has also pledged to strengthen staff professionalism and communication, with any violations subject to strict disciplinary measures.

On Monday morning, Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan visited the National Children’s Hospital to offer support and deliver gifts to the family.

During her visit to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the minister personally checked on the child’s condition and offered words of sympathy and encouragement to the family.

She praised the medical team for their coordinated efforts in providing care and instructed the hospital to continue mobilising all available resources and equipment to ensure the best possible treatment for the child.

"There have been regulations in the law and many directives and instructions from the Ministry of Health up to now: Emergency and treatment for patients is always the top priority, no matter what the circumstances," Lan said. — VNS