Ministry of Health requires handling profiteering during Covid-19 fight

SGGP 29/09/2021 12:24

With the recent information about the over-priced Covid-19 antigen rapid test kits and imported ones, the Ministry of Health yesterday requested the Department of Health of provinces and cities in the whole country and units under the Ministry of Health to urgently and strictly implement the tasks and solutions of Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control, especially the trading activities related to drugs, chemicals, biological products and medical equipment and supplies for Covid-19 fight.

The Ministry of Health imposed on the localities and relevant units strictly preventing, detecting, tracking and handling acts of corruption, negativity and interest groups on purchasing drugs, chemicals, biological products and medical equipment and supplies for Covid-19 or taking advantage of the Covid-19 fight activities to perform profiteering; strengthening the inspection and supervision of the acts of production and trade of fake and low-quality products without origin, especially taking advantage of the pandemic situation to raise the prices of drugs for profiteering; regularly inspecting and controlling prices of Covid-19 diagnostic testing services and other related services regulated by law.

Before August 20, a Covid-19 rapid test kit was priced from VND100,000 (US$4.4) to VND198,000 (US$8.7). Currently, some businesses have reduced the price of a Covid-19 rapid test kit by VND20,000 (nearly US$1) to VND70,000 (US$3.1)

Currently, there are nearly 90 types of local and imported rapid test kits for SARS-CoV-2 being traded in Vietnam. Of which, the Ministry of Health has just updated seven types and adjusted the price of three out of these seven types including Standard Q Covid-19 Ag Test and Humasis Covid-19 Ag Test of the Republic of Korea and Flowflex SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test of China.

By Quoc Lap- Translated by Huyen Huong