A worker sews medical masks in the Garment 10 Corporation Joint Stock Company.— VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health has ordered 48 producers nationwide to report their capacity to manufacture and provide medical masks for the nation's health sector no later than Thursday (April 16).

The order came after legal document No 2063/BYT-TB-CT was signed by deputy minister Trương Quốc Cường on Monday.

Cường said the producers were told to urgently send their report to the Department of Medical Equipment and Construction at No 138A Giảng Võ Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội, as well as send an email to the department’s official email address at dmec@moh.gov.vn no later than Thursday (April 16).

The document said the move aimed to seriously implement the direction of Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc as well as the requirement of National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control that asked the ministry to ensure enough medical masks for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Thus, the ministry asked every producer to take its responsibility to the community, increase production of medical masks, share information and experiences with other medical-mask producers and together work with the ministry in the fight against the pandemic.

Previously, the ministry ordered all 68 producers in the country to report their capacity to manufacture and provide the medical masks.

However, the ministry has received reports of only 20 producers so far. The ministry highly appreciated the 20 producers and criticised the others for their delay in sending their reports.

The ministry would require authorised agencies to consider dealing with producers that failed to send their report as required in accordance with the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases. — VNS