Police of Dam Doi District under Ca Mau Province in southern Vietnam on Tuesday filed charges against a local doctor for failing to fulfill his duty in COVID-19 prevention.

The charging document identified the doctor as Le Huu Phuoc, 41, head of the medical center of Thanh Tung Commune in Dam Doi District.

He was accused of running an unauthorized clinic at his home, as well as neglecting his responsibility in the province’s fight against the ongoing coronavirus outbreak — an upsurge that has infected over 189 local residents since late April and put the province under strict social distancing measures since July.

Phuoc failed to perform COVID-19 screening for L.T.D., an 11-year-old patient who was sent to his clinic after showing symptoms of vomiting on August 16-17.

D. received a medical check-up, a jab, and a drug prescription for a condition diagnosed by Phuoc, but he did not get any COVID-19 testing or screening from the doctor.

The child patient subsequently tested positive for the pathogen.

According to the police of Dam Doi District, Phuoc failed to fulfill his duty as a member of the COVID-19 task force of Thanh Tung Commune, violating Vietnam’s regulations on medical treatment, as well as breaching the Ministry of Health’s regulations on COVID-19 pre-screening for patients.

His negligence resulted in serious consequences, namely the late COVID-19 diagnosis of D. and, in turn, the threat of community spread in Ngoc Chanh and Thanh Tung Communes, the indictment concluded.

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