Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic has quietly closed and removed its signboard – Photo: THE THE
On November 15, a leader of the Dak Lak Province Department of Health said that he had caught an unlicensed dental clinic taking money from customers and then... closing it down.
Dentistry is not allowed to accept money from customers.
Previously, many customers accused Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic (at address C1, Dien Bien Phu, Buon Ma Thuot City) of making contracts, taking customers' money, then closing down without fulfilling the contract.
Among them, Mr. Ngo Van Thanh (60 years old, residing in Ea Drang town, Ea H'leo district, Dak Lak) paid Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic 30 million VND to implant 4 fake teeth. However, when he came to the dental implant appointment in early November 2024, he went to this facility but the door was closed. All the staff and machines of Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic "evaporated" somewhere.
According to Mr. Thanh, in June 2024, he saw an advertisement for Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic, so he went to this facility to have 4 dentures made, at a price of 3.9 million VND/dent.
“I calculated that if I had 4 dentures, it would cost about 16 million VND. However, when I went to the clinic, the doctor advised me to have 4 dentures and some other expenses up to 43 million VND. After deducting the insurance, the total amount I had to pay was 37 million VND to make 4 dentures,” Mr. Thanh said.
In early July 2024, Mr. Thanh went to Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic to pay 30 million VND in advance. The clinic placed 4 implants in Mr. Thanh's teeth and scheduled a follow-up appointment after 4 months. However, in early November 2024, Mr. Thanh went to Tam Tri Dental Clinic and found that it had closed and removed its sign.
According to Mr. Thanh, after several text messages, Tam Tri Dental staff gave him the address and instructions to go to a dental facility in Ho Chi Minh City for examination.
Tam Tri Smile Dental Clinic in Buon Ma Thuot while operating illegally, advertising "underground" and collecting money from customers but not fulfilling the contract - Photo: TAM AN
“But when I arrived at the address given, they said ‘not related’ and took no responsibility. I had no choice but to take the bus back to Dak Lak and could no longer contact them. Could it be that the clinic opened, cheated customers’ money and still got away with it?”, Mr. Thanh was indignant.
Regarding this issue, Tuoi Tre Online contacted Mr. Tran Dinh Tien – Director of Tam Tri Smile Dental Company Limited – to ask about the clinic’s responsibility towards customers. However, he did not reply, nor did he respond to messages.
Strengthening management of "underground" clinics and "underground" advertising
Regarding this issue, the leader of the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health said that the contract between the customer and the dental clinic representative for medical examination and treatment is related to civil liability.
However, he said that when a dental clinic is closed, the clinic owner must be responsible for contacting reputable facilities so that customers can continue treatment and ensure their rights.
“If the dental clinic owner does not perform medical examinations and treatment according to the contract, affecting the customer's rights, the customer can send a petition to the Department of Health Inspectorate to resolve the matter,” said the leader of the Dak Lak Department of Health.
Previously, the Dak Lak Department of Health Inspectorate issued a decision to fine Mr. Tran Dinh Tien, director of Tam Tri Smile Dental Company Limited, VND 90 million and suspend operations for 18 months due to unlicensed operations.
K Dentist International Dental Clinic – Buon Ma Thuot branch (171 Hai Ba Trung, Buon Ma Thuot City) operates illegally and has been fined – Photo: TAM AN
After being temporarily suspended, this clinic quietly packed up its belongings, returned the premises and then "disappeared", leaving behind customers who had paid.
In addition to this unit, on September 25, 2024, the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health Inspectorate decided to fine 3 dental units operating "illegally".
Specifically, H Dental Company Limited - Buon Ma Thuot branch (36 Quang Trung, Buon Ma Thuot City) and K Dentist International Dental Clinic - Buon Ma Thuot branch (171 Hai Ba Trung, Buon Ma Thuot City) were each fined 90 million VND; DALA International Dental Clinic (70 Tran Hung Dao, Buon Ma Thuot City) was fined 45 million VND.
All three dental clinics mentioned above were suspended for 18 months due to operating without a license.
In addition, at the end of July 2024, the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health Inspectorate fined JK Smile Creation Dental Clinic 80 million VND and suspended it for 18 months for operating without a license.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Viet Phap dental clinic was fined VND105 million for "providing medical examination and treatment services beyond the scope of expertise stated in the license" and had his license revoked for 3 months.
Talking about this, the leader of Dak Lak Department of Health said that on social networks there are still dental facilities advertising medical examination and treatment services without being confirmed by competent authorities.
“The health sector will coordinate with local police to inspect and handle violations. The Department of Health will announce qualified medical examination and treatment facilities and dental clinics so that people can know and seek medical examination and treatment.
For dental clinics that are suspended, the Department of Health will send documents to local authorities and ward police to monitor and supervise," said this leader.
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