Minister of Health: Heartbroken over mistakes in the medical industry

On the morning of November 10, the question session at the parliament took place enthusiastically.

Mr. Pham Van Hoa, Deputy Head of the Dong Thap Provincial Delegation, stated the situation of some medical staff violating bidding regulations and being entangled in labor regulations.

Responding, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long informed that recently the Ministry of Health has made many changes in management and appointment of hospital leaders.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

Delegate Trinh Xuan An (Dong Nai) raised the question about responsibility in some cases of violations committed by medical staff. Minister Long said these violations stem from many causes, due to mechanisms, instructions,

`Even though the bidding regulations are very specific, there are still violations, embezzlement and corruption. We condemn these things and the authorities will handle them in accordance with the law,` the Minister said.

In addition, localities need to strengthen supervision with units in the area to prevent, combat and handle violations.

Participating in the debate, delegate Hoang Van Cuong said that the solutions proposed by the Minister were not satisfactory.

Delegate Hoang Van Cuong.

He said, according to regulations, every year the governing agency must approve the final settlement with capital used from the budget, while operating from the unit’s capital must check the financial statements.

Responding to this issue, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that according to Party and State regulations, the leader is responsible if mistakes occur in the unit.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for the professional and technical aspects of medical facilities nationwide.

Recently, the Ministry of Health has regularly reminded units to comply with regulations on bidding and procurement management.

`We are very saddened by the violations that occurred, but we must handle them according to regulations,` Mr. Long added.

Delegate Huynh Thi Anh Suong (Quang Ngai) asked about the issue of socialization in healthcare, when many private units invest in machinery and equipment for the purpose of profit, thereby leading to a number of officials

Regarding this issue, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long affirmed that mobilizing social resources in the health sector is the right policy.

However, the head of the health sector also admitted that socialization in many places is not strict or correct, and is often hasty and individualistic, leading to mistakes.

`Hopefully, when this decree is passed, it will thoroughly resolve issues in socialization, avoid violations, and transparent price management,` the Minister said.

Delegate Pham Thi Thanh Mai raised concerns that if Vietnam had deployed the vaccine strategy earlier, it would have limited much loss of life and property.

Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that Vietnam had access to vaccines early but purchased them later than many countries.

Minister Nguyen Thanh Long talked about buying the Covid-19 vaccine late

Minister Nguyen Thanh Long talked about the reason for buying vaccines late.

However, due to many objective factors, purchasing is slow.

`The Ministry of Health has held more than 200 negotiations with companies, but the conditions given by vaccine supply companies cannot be changed, because these are conditions that apply globally,` Mr. Long said.

According to medical industry leaders, after the Politburo’s Resolution in February 2021 and the Government’s Resolution from May 2021, Vietnam has very quickly accelerated the vaccine purchasing process.

In the first 15 minutes of the working session this afternoon (November 10), Minister Nguyen Thanh Long continued to answer questions from delegates, then Minister of Public Security To Lam and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam will explain further.

Hoang Thuy – Viet Tuan – Minh Son

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