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The Drug Administration of Vietnam (DVA) under the Ministry of Health has recently issued a directive to local health departments, hospitals, drug manufacturers, and importers to ensure a steady supply of medicines for disease prevention and treatment in order to meet the needs of the people.
As per the directive, provincial and city health departments are required to instruct local disease control centers and medical facilities to promptly create and implement drug stockpiling plans that align with the actual situation to ensure an adequate and uninterrupted supply of medicines for medical examinations and treatments. The aim is to guarantee that there is never a shortage of drugs for medical examination and treatment for people. Additionally, they must ensure that there is a timely and sufficient supply of vaccines and medications for preventing Covid-19, as well as drugs for treating other diseases such as dengue fever, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, monkeypox, chickenpox, and cholera.
Local drug businesses are expected to develop and execute drug supply plans that meet the treatment demands of medical facilities and people in the area. They are strictly prohibited from taking advantage of the disease outbreak to inflate drug prices suddenly, particularly for drugs used to treat Covid-19 or drugs with limited availability.
Drug manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers must boost their supply, particularly for drugs that treat Covid-19 and other diseases, as well as drugs that are considered rare and unavailable. Furthermore, these entities are expected to create and execute a drug supply strategy that satisfies the medical examination and treatment requirements of people, guaranteeing timely delivery of sufficient medications after receiving orders from hospitals. They must refrain from speculating or exploiting the pandemic to drive up drug prices.
The Ministry of Health has recently issued an official dispatch to hospitals, provincial health departments, and health departments of ministries regarding the correction of patient transfer activities between medical facilities. The ministry demands that hospital leaders strictly ensure that doctors do not transfer patients to inappropriate medical facilities or private clinics for personal gain, violating the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.
The Ministry of Health also made it clear that in cases where hospitals under the Ministry of Health or universities at the last level of the healthcare system are unable to perform certain techniques due to a lack of supplies, medication, or equipment, they must publicize their situation on their websites so that people are aware and can report it to the relevant management agency.
