Ho Chi Minh City will 'decide' to import special drugs

There are over 24,000 drugs in the country with valid circulation registration certificates. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health will pilot a decentralization to handle applications for import licenses for drugs to meet special treatment needs.

Medicines are available, but hospitals still lack local supplies.

According to the Ministry of Health , there are currently over 24,000 drugs with valid registration certificates in the country, ensuring adequate drug supply. From 2023 to the end of November this year, nearly 15,000 new licenses for importing drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients have been issued.

Medical examination and treatment facilities will import drugs for special treatment needs at the facility.

Faced with the situation of local drug shortages in some hospitals at certain times, a representative of the Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) said that the objective cause was due to the disruption of the global supply chain for drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients; difficulties in forecasting and determining demand, especially for some drugs whose demand depends on the disease situation arising each year.

"The lack of drugs in public hospitals is due to some medical examination and treatment facilities being proactive in planning to prepare drugs; hesitant in planning and bidding for drug purchases even though regulations on drug bidding have a full legal framework. Localities are not closely monitoring the direction to ensure drug supply. Patients have to buy drugs themselves because hospitals do not purchase them, not because of a lack of supply," said a representative of the Drug Administration Department.

Simple, decentralized drug import and export procedures

According to the Drug Administration, to address concerns about purchasing in public hospitals, affecting patients, the Ministry of Health has issued and advised on the issuance of many legal documents and pharmaceutical professional guidance documents under its authority for units to apply and implement; strengthen the direction and management of ensuring drug supply, especially in cases of natural disasters and epidemics; regularly complete and implement administrative procedures on pharmaceuticals.

In 2025, the Ministry of Health will continue to advise the Government to amend the decree guiding the Law on Pharmacy to legalize the plan to simplify and decentralize administrative procedures for the import and export of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients.

In particular, for drugs with limited supply, the Ministry of Health allows medical examination and treatment facilities to proactively import drugs that do not have a circulation registration certificate in Vietnam to serve the special treatment needs of their patients, without having to depend on pharmaceutical businesses; piloting the decentralization of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health to handle applications for import licenses for drugs to meet special treatment needs in the area, reducing the burden on the central management agency.

At the same time, activities of applying information technology and monitoring drug supply sources are also enhanced to promptly regulate drug import and trading.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tphcm-se-tu-quyet-nhap-khau-thuoc-dac-biet-185241214200145245.htm