Father runs out of money to buy coffin for his son after being overcharged for ambulance fare

SGGP 08/15/2023 07:48

On August 14, the Social Work Department of Children's Hospital 1 (HCMC) said that the unit had just contacted an ambulance, bought a coffin for the son of Mr. TMG (36 years old, residing in Ca Mau province) and brought him and his son back to their hometown for free.

Previously, Mr. G.'s wife gave birth at 23 weeks at a hospital in Ca Mau. The baby was very weak because it was premature. When the doctor informed him of the situation, he wanted to take the baby to Ho Chi Minh City for emergency treatment, hoping that there would be a chance for the baby to survive, even if it was slim.

The doctor gave Mr. TMG the phone number to contact an ambulance. A woman named H. answered the phone, quoted 16 million VND for the trip to take the child from Ca Mau to Ho Chi Minh City and asked for a 50% deposit before the vehicle could be dispatched. When the vehicle arrived at the hospital, he had to pay the remaining 50%. The family was poor, Mr. G. worked as a worker so he was forced to borrow money from relatives to have enough money to rent the vehicle. On the evening of August 5, Mr. G. and his son were taken by ambulance to Children's Hospital 1. Due to the serious condition, the child passed away on August 8. "I wrapped my son in a blanket and carried him to the Children's Hospital 1 mortuary to do the paperwork. Having run out of money to buy a coffin, I planned to put my son in a styrofoam box and take him on a bus to Ca Mau. Feeling sorry for him, the uncle working at the hospital's mortuary contacted the Social Work Department for help and I received enthusiastic support from the hospital," said Mr. TMG.

According to a representative of Children's Hospital 1, the agreed route for Mr. TMG's ambulance was from Ca Mau to Children's Hospital City (Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City). However, the ambulance took Mr. G. and his son to Children's Hospital 1, so they asked for an additional 1 million VND from the family. At that time, Mr. G. had run out of money. The hospital recommends that people who have to call an ambulance to take a patient to the hospital should stay calm and research carefully to avoid being "ripped off". In difficult cases, family members or patients can contact the hospital's Social Work Department for support.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bi-chat-chem-tien-xe-cuu-thuong-cha-het-tien-mua-quan-tai-cho-con-post701614.html