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Where to go for blood test and hepatite vaccin?

Last activity 01 September 2017 by bkksaigon

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bkksaigon

Hi

I am in HCMC and i want to do a blood test and get a vaccin for hepatite b,c

Where is the best place to go in HCMC.?

Thank you

Contem talk

I suggest you to FV hospital in District 7.

bkksaigon

Thanks,

I thought FV was in d1.

Guest2023

FV is a ripoff, go to Benh Vien Dai Hoc Y Duoc in District 5.

bkksaigon

Oh...
thanks, I will check that out

Someone told me in FV it costs $50 only to talk to a doctor.

How much a blood test would cost then?..

senwl

Pasteur Institute Saigon in D3 is a reliable one.
Website
Like in most other VN hospitals, you may have to wait in the queue for a while.

bkksaigon

Hi

Pasteur , wait in the line, you mean i can just walk in without appointment?

Will the results be in vietnamese or english?

senwl

Yes, walk in without appointment  (early in the morning preferably before 7 AM).
Tell the lady at the counter your purpose of visit. She will give you a blue booklet (card). You have to write down your personal information on it. Consultation is free (as far as i can remember). Even if they charge its around 100k vnd, not much.

Wait until your Number is displayed on board. Go and see the Dr.
S/he will advise the blood test  you need to do and will write it down on prescription.

Now go to the Blood Test section, show Dr.'s prescription and make the payment (around 300k VND ($15)). Cost depends on number and type of tests prescribed by Dr.
You collect your report in an hour (max) and take it back to the Dr.
S/he will advise the types of vaccines you should take.

Go to the Vaccination section and make your payment for the vaccines you are going to take and wait for your turn.

I had my flu vaccine for 240k vnd ($12 approx). Hep b, c must be a bit more than that.

You should keep at least 3 - 4 hrs in hand.
Pasteur is a popular vaccination place  for the Vietnamese, especially children. It is always a bit crowded.  If you have time in hand it's not that complex or difficult. Foreigners do go there for vaccination.

The blood report is in V'namese. It's still understandable for a non VN person.

bkksaigon

Hi,

thank you so much.

In ref to the vaccin, I understand that I will have to follow what the doctor say, however,
I really want the hapatite b done;

I heard in VN is a high risk country for hepatite b.

thank you )))

bkksaigon

wow

blood test result in one hour? that 's quick.

THIGV

Just a reminder, there are vaccines for Hep A and B but not yet for C.  Blood testing first is a good idea as you might already have immunity. 

There is a cure, as opposed to a vaccine for C, brand named Harvoni in the US, but it costs over 30K for treatment there.  Reduced price generics may be available in Vietnam soon but for now it's better to stay away from the activities that could put you at risk for C.  I will let you look them up.

senwl

bkksaigon wrote:

wow

blood test result in one hour?


I reckon it depends on number of patients and complexity of tests.
Over the past one n half years I've done as many as seven blood tests for various reasons from both public hospitals and private clinics. Average waiting time for the Test report is  usually around 1 hr. Expect anything between 45 mints - 90 mints.

As THIGV pointed out, it is important to consult a Dr. and take a blood test to check if you're already immune to Hep B or not. That applies to all types of vaccinations, not just Hep B.

senwl

Here is an old (2015) thread on the same topic.
Expat.com
Check post #8 for more info on Pasteur.

bkksaigon

Hi
the post you referred to is very helpful

However ad i read #8 post i dont understand :
He went to get a vaccin for hepatite b but got injected with two other vaccins with a strange name

And after he got the vaccin he did a blood test? Isnt the other way around?
I d like to know if i actually have hepatite b or not before doing the injection

senwl

I think they were in two minds after talking to the Dr. and because they were leaving VN in 2 days they decided to go for the other jabs.

"The lady asked us what we were there for. I first was interested in a booster and showed the lady my vaccination history card. I was advised that based on my history I may not need a booster for the vaccine in question. She suggested I attend the opposite building for a blood test."

* This suggestion was meant for their intended booster shot.
.............
"This meant my partner and I elected to each have 2 injections each."


If you are after Hep B only, just mention it to the Dr.  Blood test will confirm you need it or not. If not, you can leave straight away. Your Dr. may tell you what other vaccines you should have. It's always good to get these information. Whether you follow it up is entirely up to you.

Blood test in Pasteur can even take half a day . It's always very crowded. Stay prepared for that too. You may be asked to come back in the afternoon to get the report.

In post #8, the couple took some other vaccines based on their existing vaccination record.

"The consultant was also happy to update my existing vaccination record that I brought with me."

They did the blood test to determine whether they needed the booster shot or not.

THIGV

There are several threads that cover this topic.  This is a recent one that is general in nature:  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=686173

There is a combined A/B vaccine but I fail to see the advantage after the first shot as the schedule for the boosters is different.  Hep A has a single booster at not less than 6 months and the two B boosters are usually given over 6 months so the last one may line up for the combined vaccine, but not the second.

Hep A is foodborne and while B is bloodborne, it can live outside the body for a while so an infected foodhandler with a cut could definitely pass it on.

Testing for B is important because the strategy differs depending if one has no infection, active infection, or chronic infection.  See this thread:  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=699222 started by someone who tested positive.

bkksaigon

Hi,

I went there, Pasteur hospital at 252 Nam Ky Khoi - today at 6.50AM and within 30 min I was done.

Nice, easy and cheap.

The doctor checked on a blue sheet 3 boxes and sent me to the building across
HBsAg - 80K
AntiHBs - 90K
Anti HBs - 120K


I paid the fees and had blood taken.

Apart from misspelling my last name on the paper they printed out, the only thing is the results will be av Sept 6 , which is a working day for me.
I asked if Saturday Sept 9 will be ok and they said yes.

Apparently, the vaccine will be done when you pick up the results.

senwl

I think they are already in 'holiday mode'. That's why they delayed it until 6 Sept.
Anyway, once you get your report, taking the shots won't take much time.

Yogi007

bkksaigon wrote:

wow

blood test result in one hour? that 's quick.


Wow.....ya got that right.

I had a routine blood & Urine test done (for bike license) about 3 years ago here & got the " hand written" results straight away!!😳 
They sheet covered about 30 categories.   First of all I thought they mistakenly gave me someone else's results, but nope....Yogi's name on it.

I spoke to the Pathologist back in Australia where I usually have routine checkups & they said it was "highly unlikely" they could do it that quick.  They would need to have the Lab equipment onsite with trained pathologists ready & waiting, and then your still looking at an hour approx for basic results.

And as for  hand written results ( which I've still got) it sure looks dodgy.

But Yogi got what he paid for didn't he.......$6.
And that included the plastic cup I peed in.

THIGV

bkksaigon wrote:

The doctor checked on a blue sheet 3 boxes and sent me to the building across
HBsAg - 80K
AntiHBs - 90K
Anti HBs - 120K


I think one of the last two should be Anti HBc.  In all likelihood if you have never been vaccinated you are negative to all three and will simply be inoculated.  If you have been vaccinated or naturally infected you will be positive for one or more.  There should be a fourth result which is IgM HBc but it may be part of what you paid for with the other tests.  If you check this matrix https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/pdfs/ … hartv8.pdf you can see which combination of results points to which status.  As long as you are not active or chronic you are fine.

bkksaigon

Its been maybe 10yrs since i checked hepatite,
i have no idea.

I hope doctors know what they are doing.

And i hope, of course i dont have it.

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