The municipal Department of Health said that right after the decision was issued, it liaised with the Department of Industry and Trade and participant enterprises to implement the program.
The Department of health also instructed in writing document to grass-root medical clinics and infirmaries to run the program with different ways. Moreover, it sent officials to the sub-departments to work with them about the program.
For hospitals, the Department often reminds them to carry out the program, asking hospital managers to director medical workers in prescription including subsidized medicines.
So far, hospital pharmacies have added cheap medicine. Accordingly, subsidized drug revenue remained stable with VND71 billion ($3.1 million) in 2017. Over 531 drugs are added in the program to meet demand of patients.
For enterprises, subsidized medicine rose by 30 percent, helping local-made drug to surge too. The rate of local-made drugs in subsidy program accounted for over 30 percent in big hospital and 40 percent in district clinics.
As per the decision, subsidy program of essential drug in the city takes effect from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 with the aim to balance the supply and demand and for security care.
Moreover, it follows the campaign Vietnamese use Vietnamese goods launched by the Ministry of Health.
All medicines in the program are made at GMP-WHO factories. Prices of subsidized items are 5-10 percent lower than prices of non-subsidized items in pharmacy stores.
