The Ministry of Health established a working group to combat and prevent smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in the medical field.

Attending the conference at Soc Trang province were comrade Nguyen Van Khoi - Provincial Party Committee member, Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee; leaders of relevant departments and branches.

To concretize the direction of the Prime Minister in Official Dispatch No. 65 and Directive No. 13, the Ministry of Health issued Decision No. 1703/QD/BYT dated May 21, 2025 promulgating the "Plan to implement the peak month of combating and preventing smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and infringement of intellectual property rights" from May 15, 2025 to June 15, 2025. The Ministry of Health will establish 15 inspection teams at units under the Ministry of Health including: Department of Drug Administration, Department of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Food Safety, Department of Infrastructure and Medical Equipment. The teams will inspect the implementation of legal regulations on pharmaceuticals and cosmetics at establishments producing, exporting, importing, wholesaling drugs, pharmaceutical ingredients and cosmetics; producing, exporting, importing, trading food ingredients, milk, functional foods, etc.

For the health departments of provinces and centrally run cities, the Ministry of Health recommends advising the Provincial People's Committee to establish inspection teams for the production, trade, and business of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines, and medical equipment within the scope of management.

The inspection will be conducted on a surprise basis, from May 15, 2025 to June 15, 2025. The inspection subjects are manufacturing, exporting, importing enterprises, and business households directly trading in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines, and medical equipment. In addition, the Ministry of Health recommends strengthening information and communication work, focusing on launching a nationwide movement to denounce counterfeit goods through the press and social networks.

Delegates attending the National Online Conference at the Soc Trang province bridge organized by the Ministry of Health. Photo: HOANG LAN

At the conference, localities reported on the implementation of Official Dispatch No. 65 and Directive No. 13 of the Prime Minister; inspection, examination and post-inspection work in the fields of the health sector; and proposed solutions to improve the effectiveness of the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the health sector in the coming time.

Concluding the conference, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan emphasized that in recent times, with the strong participation of functional agencies, many large-scale cases of manufacturing and trading of fake drugs and functional foods have been eradicated. The circulation of fake and counterfeit goods on the market has caused negative public opinion and people's concerns. Therefore, the task of combating smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the health sector is an urgent and difficult task and requires close coordination between functional agencies and management levels from the central to local levels. Thereby, he requested ministries, sectors and localities to resolutely and effectively implement the peak month in the entire health sector to inspect and control the implementation of legal regulations related to trading, production and business activities of pharmaceutical, functional food, cosmetic and medical equipment enterprises to combat, prevent, repel and eventually end smuggling, trade fraud, production and circulation of counterfeit goods (for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, functional food, traditional medicine and medical equipment); promptly detect and strictly handle acts of production and trading of counterfeit, smuggled pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicine and medical equipment of unknown origin... to protect the legitimate rights and interests of people and businesses.

HOANG LAN

Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/xa-hoi/202505/bo-y-te-lap-to-cong-tac-dau-tranh-ngan-chan-day-lui-toi-pham-buon-lau-gian-lan-thuong-mai-hang-gia-linh-vuc-y-te-5022fa5/