HÀ NỘI — The Health Ministry has not been involved in investigation, prosecution and trial of the case related to the death of eight persons after undergoing kidney dialysis at Hòa Bình Province’s General Hospital in June last year. 

Nguyễn Huy Quang, head of Health Ministry’s Legal Affairs Department, told media on Wednesday that according to health minister Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến, this was an extremely serious medical incident.

The investigative, prosecution and judicial agencies will work independently in the case in accordance with the law, he said, adding the Health Ministry expected these agencies to execute the defendants at the earliest.

The health minister ordered a transparent, open and unbiased investigation, prosecution and trial, following laws and considering the legitimate rights and benefits of the three defendants, including Hoàng Công Lương.

Lương, 32, worked as a doctor at the intensive rehabilitation ward of the artificial kidney department at the General Hospital.

The Health Ministry proposed the concerned agencies to consider Lương’s crime through the court’s arguments and indictment as well as by questioning his relatives to decide on the appropriate punishment, Quang said.

In response to reporters’ queries as to why the People’s Court of Hòa Bình Province did not talk about the responsibility of the hospital’s director, Quang said the indictment only mentioned the contract-signing process.Accordingly, Trương Qúy Dương, director of the hospital, signed the contract for repair and maintenance of the Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification system at the hospital with Thiên Sơn Company. Thiên Sơn then signed a contract with Bùi Mạnh Quốc, director of Trâm Anh Water Treatment Ltd Co.

Following the deaths, Dương was dismissed from his position.

Besides Lương, Quốc, 32, and Trần Văn Sơn, 28, staff of the department of material and medical equipment at the General Hospital have been charged for “unintentional killing” and “irresponsible behaviour causing serious consequences”.

In a related move, Nguyễn Đình Anh, head of Emulation and Commendation Department under the Health Ministry, denied the information that the ministry had proposed the court to exonerate Lương from criminal charges. The information was released on the website, dan-nong.com.

According to the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications, dan-nong.com faked the licence of the Ministry of Information and Communications granted to news websites and is illegal.

The website uses an international domain name without reporting to the Việt Nam Internet Centre. It will be given suitable punishment. — VNS