Management of medical equipment business activities to serve Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control: Increasing inspection, preventing violations.

– At this time, with the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for medical supplies such as masks, hand sanitizer increased…. In the face of this situation, the market management force of Lang son province has strengthened its area management, supervision and inspection of medical equipment business activities to serve the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Mr. Le Trung Nghia, Captain of Market Management Team No.1 – in charge of Lang Son city said, “From April 2021 to present, the team has inspected 31 business establishments  of pharmaceutical, medical supplies and equipments in the city, through inspection, all 31 establishments violated business regulations. In which, there has been a number of pharmaceutical, medical supplies and equipment business establishments that speculated and sold medical supplies and equipment for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic at prices that are not listed by the production company.”

Not only Market Management Team No. 1, over the past 3 months, units under the Provincial Market Management Department discovered many violations related to medical equipment business such as: increasing the selling price of mask, hand sannitizer… Specifically, 108 business establishments in pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and equipment were found to have committed errors such as the person in charge of the specialty of the drug retailer is absent during the operation of the pharmacy; no separating area for non-medicinal products according to the law; not listing wholesale and retail prices in VND in pharmaceutical business establishments. In which, 28 establishments have acts of hoarding, speculating and increasing the price of medical supplies.

Market management force inspects business establishments of medical supplies and equipment in Vinh Trai ward, Lang Son city

Through discussions with the leaders of the Provincial Information Management Department, we were informed that due to the complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trading of medical supplies and equipment increased sharply in recent time. Nevertheless, due to greed, some business establishments not only pushed the price of medical item but also sold it without stamps and labels.

Mr. Tran Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Provincial Market Management Department said, “With complicated developments in the business of medical supplies and equipment, especially from the end of June 2021 up to now, by professional measures , we have found that people have the mentality to buy medical equipment for pandemic prevention, leaders of the department have directed subordinate units to actively coordinate with functional forces to firmly understand local situation; maintain 100% of the staff on duty in the teams to actively inspect and control the market; fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and fake goods in the assigned area; focus on fighting speculation, hoarding, raising the prices of medical supplies and equipment; thereby contributing to stabilizing the market for this item.

Market Management Team No. 1 inspects the listing of selling prices of medical supplies and equipment of business establishments in the area under their management

Along with the good performance of regular inspection and control, the affiliated market management teams also actively inspected and checked by the intels for medical products trading establishments in their assigned areas. Not only strengthened control of fixed business establishments, the market management force has continuously increased inspection and control of the market at the stage of circulation in order to prevent transporting smuggled medical materials and equipment into the country, thus contributing a favorable and safe business environment for business households as well as ensuring the legitimate interests of consumers.

According to the leader of the Provincial Market Management Department, along with the inspection and control work, the Provincial Market Management Department directed the teams to coordinate with the functional forces in the area to organize propaganda and sign a commitment to comply with the provisions of the law in the business of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and equipment in order to raise the awareness of establishment owners not to take advantage of the pandemic to speculate on goods, raising prices, and causing market disturbances, thereby protecting the interests of consumers during the current complicated pandemic situation.