Trial on medical incident at Hoa Binh General Hospital resumed

Defendants at the court (Source: VNA)

The trial was delayed on May 7 due to the absence of a number of concerned people and lawyers.

The defendants include Bui Manh Quoc, born in 1986, residing in the northern province of Bac Ninh, Director of the Tram Anh Water Treatment Co. Ltd, who was prosecuted for “unintentionally causing deaths.”

The others are Tran Van Son, residing in Hoa Binh city, an official of the medical material and equipment division of the Hoa Binh General Hospital; and Hoang Cong Luong, residing in Hoa Binh city, a doctor of the Department of Intensive Care of the Hoa Binh General Hospital. Both Son and Luong were prosecuted for “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.”

Former Director of the Hoa Binh General Hospital Truong Quy Duong was absent from the trial.

On May 29, 2017, 18 patients suffered from symptoms of anaphylactic shock like breathing difficulty, sudden blood pressure fall, stomach ache and vomiting while receiving kidney dialysis at the kidney dialysis division of the Hoa Binh General Hospital’s Department of Intensive Care. Eight of the patients died in this incident.

According to the indictment of the provincial People’s Procuracy, Quoc directly repaired and maintained the Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter system of dialysis machines.

During the process, however, the machines’ water supply tubes were not purified carefully, leaving chemical residue. After pasteurisation of the RO filter system, Quoc did not check quality of water samples before handing the system over to the hospital. He was charged with “unintentionally causing deaths.”

28-year-old Son, who was in charge of checking and supervising the replacement and maintenance of the filter system, failed to complete his assigned tasks.

Nephrologist Luong, 32, allowed the dialysis treatment to commence without checking water quality.

Both Son and Luong were charged with “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.”

The court is scheduled to last until May 18, 2018.