The Ho Chi Minh City Health Department on Friday revoked the business license of Apollo General Clinic for for its various violations on medical examination and treatment, a week after it was caught employing Chinese health workers illegally.>> Clinic with ‘Chinese doctors’ repeats offense>> Clinic inspected, Chinese ‘doctors’ flee, hide >> Unlicensed Chinese “doctors” found in HCMC>> Woman dies at Chinese clinic, doctors disappear

The department yesterday issued a decision to fine the clinic VND89.2 million (US$4,200) and revoke its operating license for 12 months.

The revocation was made following a recent inspection made by the department’s inspectorate at the clinic, during which inspectors caught the clinic committing many violations, including employing health workers without practitioner’s certificates, offering unlicensed medical services, and using medicine that have yet to be licensed for circulation in Vietnam.

As previously reported, when an inspection team from the HCMC Health Department arrived at the clinic, at 228-228A Tran Hung Dao Street on August 29, many Chinese “doctors” who were examining patients immediately left. Some of them hid in the ceiling of a bathroom, some fled through a back door, and others hid in a locked room. Inspectors finally found ten health workers and temporarily seized the passports of eight of them. The two others failed to show their passports. According to inspectors, at least three of the ten Chinese had worked as "doctors" at the clinic and directly examined and treated patients. They are Yang Hui Li, Luo Hong Yong and Cai Bao Gui. Dr Bui Minh Trang, chief inspector of the HCMC Health Department, said the clinic has not registered any foreigners as employees. Therefore, it was unlawful for the clinic to include Chinese health workers in the clinic’s operation. The inspectorate has proposed the health Department to fine the three Chinese heath workers, VND12.5 million each for practicing without a practitioner’s certificate, he said. The city Immigration Department will request that all of the Chinese workers under question present their work permits. Anyone who does not have a work permit will be expelled from Vietnam, Trang said. The chief inspector also said that the clinic is a repeat offender of regulations on medical examination and treatment.

Three months ago, the department’s inspectorate levied administrative fines totaling VND44.5 million (US$2,100) for different violations, including  providing unlicensed health services, not publicizing  service and medicine prices, and failing to keep patients’ records fully and properly.

The clinic was grant a certificate of business registration in 2011 by the city Department of Planning and Investment. According to the certificate, the clinic's re[presentative is Vong Vien Hai, a 30-year-old man in southern Dong Nai province

In December 2012 the city Health Department granted the clinic an operating license in the name of Dr. Vo Thanh Tung.