Hong, 33, who came to the hospital for a forehead injury, had to wait a considerable time to hear her name called over the loudspeaker, instead of seeing her number displayed on the electronic board. The examination area was crowded with patients, while a sign read: "The network system is down. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and ask for your understanding."
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Medical staff had to write by hand instead of using computers due to the network failure at Gia Dinh People's Hospital on 24/9. Photo: Khanh Hong |
Medical staff had to write by hand instead of using computers due to the network failure at Gia Dinh People's Hospital on 24/9. Photo: Khanh Hong
The outage forced the entire examination and treatment process to revert to manual methods, slowing everything down. Doctors and nurses scrambled to write by hand – a practice they hadn't used for almost a year since the hospital implemented electronic medical records. Payment processing was also affected, with the hospital only able to accept cash and not bank transfers.
"I waited so long to pay my hospital bill that I gave up and went home," Hong said.
A representative of Gia Dinh People's Hospital confirmed to VnExpress that afternoon that the morning's software disruption was due to a system upgrade. The incident impacted operations, particularly outpatient services.
"This incident delayed the examination and treatment process and caused inconvenience to patients and their relatives," the hospital representative said, issuing an apology.
The hospital quickly mobilized its technical team and other relevant departments to resolve the issue. By midday, the system was largely restored, and normal operations resumed. The hospital pledged to strengthen its IT investments, implement system checks, and develop contingency plans and rapid response procedures to minimize similar risks in the future.
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Crowds of patients wait at the examination area of Gia Dinh People's Hospital on 24/9. Photo: Khanh Hong |
Crowds of patients wait at the examination area of Gia Dinh People's Hospital on 24/9. Photo: Khanh Hong
Gia Dinh People's Hospital is a tertiary general hospital under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, ranked second in the 2025 hospital quality inspection rankings. The hospital completed its electronic medical record system, which was approved by the Ministry of Health in late 2024 and officially implemented hospital-wide on 1/1/2025, ahead of the 30/9 deadline. It is also one of the leading units in Ho Chi Minh City in applying electronic medical records.
Le Phuong
