A Ho Chi Minh City court has ordered a doctor to pay US$10,700 as compensation to a Vietnamese-American woman for a failed cosmetic breast surgery performed on her five years ago. The plaintiff in the suit is Lisa Nguyen, 45, and the defendant is Dr. Lai Cong Hiep of HCMC’s Phu Nhuan district, who was sued by Lisa for damaging her health and breast beauty. Yesterday the appeals court of the Supreme People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City upheld the verdict previously issued by the HCMC People’s Court, in which Dr. Hiep was ordered to pay more than VND223 million ($10,700|) to Lisa as compensation. On February 15, 2008, Lisa, who had had three breast enhancement procedures in the US, returned to Vietnam and consulted Dr. Hiep, director of the Viet-My Institute of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, for a cosmetic breast surgery. She asked Hiep to remove two silicon bags of 360 cc from her breasts and then implant two smaller silicon bags, of 260 cc, as a replacement. Lisa and Dr. Hiep agreed for the surgery to proceed based on four mutually-agreed upon stipulations, including the one that her two nipples would not be affected by the surgery. Lisa later paid Dr. Hiep a total of $2,200 (VND35.2 million, according to the foreign exchange rate at that time), including $2,000 in surgery costs with the remaining expense serving as remuneration for his assistant in the operation. On February 18, Dr. Hiep took the woman to Transport Hospital 8, with which he had signed a professional cooperation contract related to the surgery, for an operation that lasted 6 hours.One nipple lost Three days after the operation, Lisa found that her right nipple had swelled up and turned black. Ten days later, after the stitches were taken out, the incision was split, exposing the silicon bags inside. Dr. Hiep mended the incision but the problem returned several days later, with fluid oozing from the infected wound. The doctor had to perform surgery on the breasts to remove the bags and close the incision. The removal was made with a written commitment by Dr. Hiep that he would implant silicon bags into Lisa’s breasts free of charge in the future when Lisa returned to Vietnam again. After nearly a month of treatment, Lisa was discharged on March 19, 2008, with many scars on her flattened breasts and her right nipple lost due to the infection. As a result, Lisa suffered a permanent body injury rate of 16 percent. Lisa demanded that Dr. Hiep pay her a compensation of $25,000, but the doctor rejected her claim. The woman then filed a suit to the city court to claim VND330 million in damages. In court, Hiep said Transport Hospital 8 had to be partly held responsible in the case, which meant that the hospital would have to pay a part of the damages to Lisa. However, the court rejected his claim, saying that, as shown in the contract between him and the hospital, he would be the sole party responsible for paying damages if he caused any damage to the patient.
More
Apple says it wants to spend more on suppliers in Vietnam
Apple wants to boost its investment in Vietnam
Read more
Vietnamese college creates air-conditioned snooze room for students
A student at a major college in Ho Chi Minh City has spent months creating an English-teaching robot, and went on to think of a futuristic school where all teachers are robots shortly after his efforts yielded success.
5 years agoWho is Vietnam’s newly re-elected Party chief?
8 years agoHighlights
Heavy pollution persists in channel near textile industrial park in northern Vietnam
The foul smell from the contaminated channel permeates almost every corner in the area
Photos
Artist paints murals on house to raise awareness of COVID-19 prevention in Hanoi
He drew the virus, vaccine, and earth on the exterior walls of a house
Latest news
Relocation, felling of 453 trees proposed for Ho Chi Minh City’s 2nd metro construction
Up to 404 trees are slated to be cut down, while the remaining trees will be transplanted
Bangkok, Da Lat named top holiday picks for Vietnamese travelers: Booking.com
As the scorching weather is raging in Vietnam, 75 percent of Vietnamese are seeking cooler destinations to escape the heat
Heavy pollution persists in channel near textile industrial park in northern Vietnam
The foul smell from the contaminated channel permeates almost every corner in the area
Central Vietnamese province spends $106.5mn recovering local river
Many residents have encroached on the river to make room for shrimp farms and houses
Vietnamese broker gets 18 years for defrauding Australian investor of $3.2mn
An Australian businessman, John Koon, accused her of defrauding him of a total of $3.2 million
Unprecedentedly abnormal cherry-like apricot blossoms bloom in Vietnam’s Da Lat
Cherry-like apricot blossoms typically bloom in Da Lat from late December to February
Folk cakes full of flavor, bursting with color on display at festival in Vietnam’s Can Tho
Their main ingredients are sticky rice and vegetables
Q1 marks highest increase in remittances to Ho Chi Minh City in 3 years
Incoming remittances to Ho Chi Minh City reached nearly US$2.9 billion in the first quarter this year
Vietnam's FPT Retail plans 400 new pharmacies amid phone market challenges
The expansion will bring the total number of FPT Retail’s pharmacies to 1,900
100-year waxy flesh coconut tree fest to be held in Vietnam’s Tra Vinh
Dua sap, which literally means waxy flesh coconut in Vietnamese, has no water in it, and is full of white greasy jelly-like fresh when fully ripen