Health ministry cracks down on sale of antibiotics

October 05, 2017 - 16:55

The Health Ministry has launched a project wherein by 2020, all pharmacies will be required to sell antibiotics only to patients carrying doctors’ prescriptions.

A drugstore in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Phương Vy
Viet Nam News
 
HÀ NỘI — The Health Ministry has launched a project wherein by 2020, all pharmacies will be required to sell antibiotics only to patients carrying doctors’ prescriptions.
 
The ministry will work with local health departments in the first phase, to conduct the project in the northern provinces of Nam Định, Vĩnh Phúc, central city of Đà Nẵng and Mekong Delta province of Cần Thơ.
 
In the second phase, between 2018 and 2020, the project will be expanded to other provinces and cities, nationwide.
 
The project aims to tighten the control over prescriptions and selling prescribed drugs, to reduce antibiotic resistance, misuse and abuse.
 
According to a survey related to antibiotic prescriptions at pharmacies in northern localities, awareness of residents about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance remains low, especially among those in rural areas.
 
In urban areas, 88 per cent of antibiotics are sold without prescriptions, while it is 91 per cent in rural areas.
 
The latest information released showed that some 30 per cent of patients at the National Children’s Hospital suffer from drug-resistant bacteria stemming from the improper use of antibiotics. — VNS
 

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