A vehicle from a healthcare service facility in Binh Duong Province, neighboring Ho Chi Minh City, was caught transporting its papers and medical waste to the bank of a Saigon River section in the province and burning it on Thursday last week, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday.

The vehicle was registered to a branch of Nguyen Trai Medical Service Co. Ltd. in Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong.

A video sent to Tuoi Tre showed that there were two men in the car, including a Chinese citizen.

They burned the medical waste on the Saigon River bank section in the An Son Resettlement Area in Thuan An City, Binh Duong.

The fire and a column of black smoke could be seen from afar.

When questioned by a local resident, one of the two men said many other people also burned waste there, and they just followed suit.

The video revealed that they burned many treatment documents and invoices from Nguyen Trai - Thu Dau Mot Polyclinic, under Nguyen Trai Medical Service Co. Ltd. - Thu Dau Mot Branch.

Hundreds of medicine vials, which are hazardous medical waste, were also brought to the riverbank for burning. 

“They have brought medical waste to the area to burn several times. Drug vials and papers were scattered. When burned, the vials exploded and many pieces fell into the Saigon River,” a local resident said angrily.

Locals also reported that the two men continued burning waste in the area and threw the burning medical waste into the Saigon River to conceal their acts on Monday.

M.H., who called herself an administrative employee of Nguyen Trai - Thu Dau Mot Polyclinic, admitted the vehicle in the video belongs to Nguyen Trai Medical Service Co. Ltd - Thu Dau Mot Branch.

She represented the company to complete the vehicle registration procedures.

She said that she did not know any information about the burning of medical waste along the Saigon River bank and would report it to the company’s director, adding that the firm signed a contract with a waste collection and treatment unit.

After being informed of the case, Nguyen Hong Chuong, director of the Binh Duong Department of Health, told Tuoi Tre that it was extremely serious and the agency would assign inspectors to investigate it.

On Monday morning, Tuoi Tre reported that nine patients denounced Nguyen Trai - Thu Dau Mot Polyclinic for conjuring up threats of deadly diseases to get more money from patients.

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