Ensuring the quality of medicines, cosmetics, and food for public health.

SKĐS - The Nghe An Center for Testing Drugs, Cosmetics, and Food plays a crucial role in protecting public health. With thousands of samples tested, the Center is committed to the quality of products in circulation.

Silently maintaining a quality "filter".

Few people know that behind every pill, cosmetic product, or dietary supplement circulating in the market lies a rigorous inspection and monitoring process by the health sector. In Nghe An, this task is carried out daily by the Nghe An Center for Testing Drugs, Cosmetics, and Food with accuracy, care, and responsibility.

Officers from the Physical Chemistry Department perform solubility tests on drug samples.

According to the functions assigned by the Provincial People's Committee, the Center is a public service unit under the Nghe An Department of Health, tasked with inspecting, monitoring, and managing the quality of medicines, cosmetics, and food products in the province; and also conducting testing, scientific research, professional training, and related technical services.

Over the years, the unit has gradually affirmed its core role in the local healthcare quality control system. Despite many difficulties in terms of facilities, equipment, and human resources, the staff and employees of the Center have maintained stable professional activities, meeting the increasingly high demands in testing work.

In 2025, the Center will conduct more than 1,100 tests, including over 800 tests for state management purposes and over 300 tests for technical services.

In 2025, the Center will conduct more than 1,100 tests, including over 800 for state management purposes and over 300 for technical services. Thousands of tests will be carried out on pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health supplements, and bottled water.

The unit also focuses on monitoring active ingredients that may violate quality standards, unstable dosage forms, and products under warning by the Ministry of Health . Through market sampling activities, the Center has detected 6 counterfeit drug samples, contributing to timely warnings and prevention of potential risks to public health.

These results were achieved through the quiet efforts of the sampling team. Even without specialized vehicles, the unit proactively rented equipment to ensure the progress and professional requirements were met.

Enhancing capabilities, aiming towards becoming a regional testing center.

In addition to successfully fulfilling its professional duties, the Center also focuses on improving technical capabilities and building a professional and modern quality management system.

The center focuses on improving technical capabilities and building a professional and modern quality management system.

Currently, the unit operates a laboratory management system according to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards with dozens of standardized tests, while maintaining the "Good Laboratory Practice" (GLP) principles.

Annually, the Center participates in proficiency testing programs organized by the Central Institute for Drug Testing and the National Institute for Food Safety Testing. Tests using physical, physicochemical, chemical, and microbiological methods all yield satisfactory results.

This is not only a measure of professional competence but also confirms the reliability of test results, effectively serving state management as well as the testing needs of facilities producing, trading, and using medical products.

Alongside its professional activities, the unit also pays special attention to scientific research. In 2025, the Center will approve four basic-level scientific research projects related to microbiological testing, health supplements, and pharmaceuticals. These include projects applying high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify active ingredients in medicines and health supplements.

To meet the ever-increasing demands, the Center continues to strengthen its human resource training. Many staff members have been sent to participate in intensive training courses, technical training, and professional development programs at leading organizations.

In its development plan for the next phase, the Center is renovating and constructing a new facility at 55 Tue Tinh Street, Vinh Phu Ward (Nghe An Province), aiming to become the North Central Region Testing Center in accordance with the province's and the health sector's guidelines.

Staff from the Traditional Medicine and Herbal Testing Department perform the sample testing procedures.

This investment not only contributes to improving Nghe An's testing capacity but also creates a foundation for quality control of medicines, cosmetics, and food in many localities in the region.

According to Dr. Le Van Thom, Director of the Center, in the context of an increasingly diverse market for medicines, cosmetics, and food, with the emergence of many counterfeit and substandard products, testing plays a particularly important role in protecting public health.

Accordingly, the unit has identified its core task as strictly controlling product quality from sampling and testing to issuing warnings and coordinating the handling of violations. "Each test result not only serves state management but also contributes to ensuring the rights and safety of the people," Pharmacist Thơm emphasized.

In the coming period, the Center will continue to invest in modernizing equipment, improving professional capacity, training high-quality human resources, and expanding specialized testing parameters to meet the increasingly high demands of the health sector as well as the quality control needs in the North Central region.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/dam-bao-chat-luong-thuoc-my-pham-thuc-pham-vi-suc-khoe-cong-dong-169260513100527864.htm