Health

Greater push for local medicines

Thirty pharmaceutical businesses and 62 medicine products were awarded the prize "Vietnamese Medicine Star" by the Ministry of Health April 22.
Thirty pharmaceutical businesses and 62 medicine products were awardedthe prize "Vietnamese Medicine Star" by the Ministry of Health April 22.

Theprize is part of projects titled By Vietnam First and VietnameseMedicine Path run by the ministry to support the domestic pharmaceuticalsector.

The project is said to improve the reputation of thedomestic pharmaceutical sector to the public and to strengthen theresponsibilities of doctors in prescribing, safe medicines at lowerprices.

According to the ministry's report, after two years ofimplementation, the cost of medicines in hospitals and healthdepartments has fallen by 35.5 percent over previous years.

The numbers of made-in-Vietnam medicines winning bids in hospitals have doubled, said the ministry.

Domestic pharmaceutical products account for more than 57 percent of medicines used in hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speakingat the award ceremony, Nguyen Thien Nhan, a politburo member andChairman of Central Committee of the Fatherland Front, said heappreciated the ministry's project.-VNA
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