Minister of Health wears mask and covers face to buy prescription drugs

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said she wore a mask and covered her face to go to a pharmacy near her house to buy the prescription drug Seduxen for testing.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan answers questions about solutions to manage the purchase and sale of prescription drugs. Photo: Pham Thang

On the morning of November 12th, continuing the program of the 8th Session, the National Assembly continued the question-and-answer session with National Assembly deputies on the health sector and the third group of issues related to information and communication.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man chaired the meeting.

In her questioning, National Assembly delegate Ho Thi Minh from Quang Tri province stated that, according to regulations, pharmacists must be present at pharmacies when they open, and prescription drugs can only be sold with a doctor's prescription. However, currently, most pharmacies do not have pharmacists, and prescription drugs are still being sold indiscriminately without a prescription.

Delegates asked the Ministry of Health to provide solutions to manage the situation of "buying and selling drugs without prescription".

Delegate Ho Thi Minh – National Assembly Delegation of Quang Tri Province – asked questions. Photo: Pham Thang

In response to this, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stated that the person responsible for the pharmaceutical expertise of a business establishment in general, and of a retail establishment in particular, is ultimately accountable under the law for all professional activities of that establishment.

The legal regulations concerning pharmaceuticals also stipulate very strict rules to ensure that those responsible for professional matters perform their functions and duties correctly.

The Minister cited the 2016 Law on Pharmaceuticals as an example, which strictly prohibits the retail sale of prescription drugs without a prescription. Decree 117 also stipulates that the person responsible for professional matters may be subject to administrative penalties of up to 5,000,000 VND if they are not present at the designated facility.

According to current regulations, the Department of Health of each locality is the agency responsible for receiving, evaluating, issuing, reissuing, and revoking licenses for pharmaceutical businesses that meet the requirements for retail drug sales.

Recently, the Departments of Health have intensified their supervision of retail establishments. It can be affirmed that this activity is becoming increasingly stringent.

"I am also very concerned about this issue. A few days ago, I also wore a mask and covered my face to go to the pharmacy near my house to buy the prescription drug Seduxen. The saleswoman said that this drug can only be sold with a prescription," the minister said, adding that in practice there are some people doing this, but basically this practice has been strengthened and managed.

The Ministry of Health has implemented regulations for a national electronic prescription system. This is a unified management system nationwide, helping healthcare facilities and pharmacies manage prescriptions and monitor drug sales in a transparent manner.

This system requires all pharmacies to update their information every time they dispense or sell prescription drugs and to maintain close links with healthcare facilities for inspection and monitoring.

If there is misinformation, non-compliant establishments will be dealt with according to the law on pharmaceuticals. The Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Public Security, is also strengthening the connection of the national pharmaceutical management system during the implementation of Project 06.

"We have regulations, but in practice, violations still occur in some places. When detected, they will be dealt with strictly according to regulations," the minister emphasized.

Laodong.vn

Source: https://laodong.vn/thoi-su/bo-truong-y-te-deo-khau-trang-bit-mat-di-mua-thuoc-ke-don-1420260.ldo