On 27/2, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, Tang Chi Thuong, highlighted this incident to demonstrate the effectiveness of the public feedback system. Three days prior, a male patient visited the Ear, Nose, and Throat department of a major hospital. His examination took only 5 minutes, but he waited a long time for his prescription. Exhausted and frustrated, he called the Department of Health's hotline.
Upon receiving the complaint, the duty officer entered the information into the "Public Feedback Reception and Processing System" dashboard – a platform developed and officially operated by the Department of Health since late 2025. The system immediately triggered an alert, urging the hospital to promptly review the case. Verification confirmed the patient's complaint. The delay in printing the prescription was due to a medical secretary overlooking the list of patients who had completed their examinations. The issue was only addressed after the patient inquired.
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Patients wait for examination at a Ho Chi Minh City hospital. *Quynh Tran*. |
After identifying the error, the examining doctor proactively contacted the patient to apologize. Concurrently, the department head reminded and disciplined the staff involved, and reviewed the medication dispensing process to prevent similar incidents. The hospital completed the entire process, from receiving the information and verification to responding to the patient, in under 24 hours. The patient expressed satisfaction with the hospital's prompt and straightforward handling of the situation, stating his feedback was solely for constructive improvement.
Doctor Thuong shared that the Department's board of directors and the Special Task Force prioritize monitoring the feedback system every morning to closely supervise healthcare facilities. The city's health sector views these calls not as complaints, but as "signals for improvement." This encourages hospitals to proactively take responsibility and rectify even the smallest issues to better serve the community.
On Vietnamese Doctor's Day, the head of the city's health sector emphasized that medical ethics today extend beyond professional expertise or technical skills. This quality is also evident through a listening attitude, a spirit of learning, and decisive corrective actions.
"Ho Chi Minh City is dedicating efforts to build a transparent healthcare environment, using patient satisfaction as the benchmark for operational quality," Mr. Thuong shared.
Le Phuong
