The institute is deserted for nearly two months
Resident Nguyen Thi Hong Hai in Thu Duc City went to the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City on August 4 to receive vaccine shots against rabies as last night, she was scratched by a neighbor's cat. However, the security guard announced that the Pasteur Institute ran out of vaccines.
For fear of contracting the rabies virus, she rushed to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City to get doses of the rabies vaccine.
Similarly, Mr. Pham Vinh Phuc in the Southern Province of Binh Duong’s Di An City was disappointed at the announcement that the Pasteur Institute has run out of vaccines. He was directed to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City for tetanus vaccination. He asked for work leave so Mr. Phuc said he would go to a private vaccination facility to get vaccine shots before going home.
Nearly two months ago, city dwellers in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces were disappointed when this institute was almost out of vaccines and other test products. The institute has become deserted for nearly two months.
Currently, the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City only has a Prevenar vaccine to prevent meningitis and pneumococcal pneumonia and two vaccines to prevent gastroenteritis and enteritis caused by the Rota virus.
Ms. Nguyen Ha Duc Hanh in District 3 said that in the past, this unit has also run out of vaccines a few times, but in a short time. This is the first time the Pasteur Institute has been short of almost all of the vaccines and for such a long time. Vaccination cannot be postponed, such as rabies or tetanus vaccines, said Ms. Hanh.
Associate Professor Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that the prolonged shortage of vaccines was because this unit encountered some problems in bidding and procurement. The unit is trying to speed up the process, and remove obstacles to have vaccines soon. Because the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Circular 08 has taken effect since August 1, 2022, the institute is urgently reviewing and completing the procurement and bidding process for vaccines and other medical products.
When asked, when the service vaccine will be available again, Associate Professor-Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung said that it will take several months. Under the Pasteur Institute’s guidance, people should come to nearby medical facilities to get vaccinated so as not to interrupt the vaccination schedule. The institute's leaders also recommended that people check the status of the vaccine, which is publicized and updated every day on the institute's website.
