HÒA BÌNH — The People’s Court of Hòa Bình City in the northern province of Hòa Bình yesterday decided to return dossiers on the medical incident which caused nine deaths last year to the provincial People’s Procuracy for additional investigation.

The Jury Board proposed further investigation to clarify the evidence and to examine the role of Hoàng Công Lương, 32, a doctor at the Department of Intensive Care of the Hòa Bình General Hospital, who was prosecuted for “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.”

At the same time, it requested verification of the statements of concerned people about their responsibility in the kidney dialysis division of the Hòa Bình General Hospital.

The board recommended that Hoàng Đình Khiếu, deputy director of the hospital and Trần Văn Thắng, head of the equipment department, be prosecuted for “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.”

It also suggested the provincial People’s Procuracy clarify the responsibility of Trương Quý Dương, who was the hospital’s director and Đỗ Anh Tuấn, director of Thiên Sơn Joint Stock company in signing contracts on purchase and repair of health facilities and equipment in the hospital.

The responsibilities of involved health workers like Nguyễn Mạnh Linh, Phạm Thị Huyền in the incident should be clarified, the board said.

The jury board also proposed considering the responsibility of the Ministry of Health with the issuance of two official letters which were sent to the provincial police investigators and Nguyễn Chiến’s Law Office relating to the management of the reverse osmosis filter system of dialysis machines.

The responsibility of the provincial Health Department over the licencing, management and supervision of the hospital’s activities including kidney dialysis should be reviewed, it said.

On May 29, 2017, 18 patients suffered symptoms of anaphylactic shock while receiving kidney dialysis at the kidney dialysis division of the Hòa Bình General Hospital’s Department of Intensive Care. Nine patients died.

Police’s investigation later concluded that the water used in the dialysis treatment was the cause of the incident as chemical residue in the water were up to 260 times above the permitted level. — VNS