A Vietnamese male was arrested last Tuesday for practising medicine without a licence at his home in the so-called Three Lamps neighbourhood, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man said at a press conference yesterday.
The 31-year-old suspect surnamed Tran told the police that he works as a security guard.
According to Chan, the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) was notified on March 31 this year by the Health Bureau (SSM) that it had received an anonymous letter saying that the sender’s domestic helper had seen an illegal medical practitioner in Rotunda de Carlos da Maia.
The Public Prosecutions Office referred the case to the Judiciary Police in June for follow-up investigation. PJ officers discovered that the suspect had uploaded photos of him conducting intravenous therapy and stitching patients’ wounds.
The Judiciary Police took action last Tuesday and went to Tran’s flat where they conducted a search and arrested Tran. PJ officers seized a large quantity of medical equipment and drugs. Under questioning, Tran admitted that he illegally practised medicine for Vietnamese at his home. He claimed that he studied medicine at a university in Vietnam until 2014 and worked in a hospital there for a few months after graduation. However, due to low pay in Vietnam, he came to Macau to work later that year and has so far worked in four different jobs, Chan said.
According to Chan, Tran told the police that he started his illegal medical practice in March this year in order to earn more money. He purchased medical equipment as well as medicines online and rented the flat to treat his compatriots whom he charged between 100 to 200 patacas each time. Chan said that Tran told the police that he had treated about 40 Vietnamese.
Tran was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) last Thursday, facing a charge for unlawful practice of a profession, according to Chan.
This undated handout photo provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday shows evidence such as various types of medicines and medical apparatus seized from the Vietnamese suspect’s flat.
