Authorities in Nghe An have arrested ten individuals, including 39-year-old Ta Thi Van, for allegedly engaging in fraudulent medical practices at the Nghe An General Medical Clinic. The group is accused of creating false medical conditions to pressure patients into purchasing expensive treatments, resulting in profits amounting to tens of billions of VND.

The investigation revealed that in September 2024, Van and her accomplices established the clinic on Le Loi Street in Vinh City. They hired staff, including individuals without proper medical qualifications, and advertised their services extensively on social media, offering low-cost medical packages to attract clients.

Under the guise of providing urological and gynecological examinations, the group employed deceptive tactics to fabricate illnesses. During consultations, multiple staff members would engage with patients, exaggerating the severity of their conditions and warning of dire consequences such as infertility or cancer if immediate treatment was not pursued.

One particularly alarming method involved injecting soy milk into patients’ urethras and then withdrawing it to create the appearance of pus, falsely diagnosing severe infections. They also applied Acyclovir ointment to the cervix and used imaging equipment to produce misleading images of severe infections, leading to false diagnoses of serious gynecological conditions.

Patients were often pressured to make immediate treatment decisions while undergoing examinations or procedures, with costs sometimes reaching tens of millions of VND for what were essentially routine cleaning or simple procedures. The clinic's deceptive practices were uncovered following a thorough investigation by the Nghe An police, which led to the examination of the clinic and the questioning of 35 individuals, along with the seizure of numerous documents.

The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the fraudulent operations.