The government’s Inspectorate has accused the Ministry of Health of “several wrongdoings” in the purchase and stockpile of anti-bird flu drugs like Tamiflu.
In a report last week, inspectors also recommended to the government to “discipline individuals and organizations involved in the case.”
The report said that between late 2003 and late 2005, there were only 91 cases of A/H5N1 influenza but the ministry proposed in November 2005 to stock 30 million anti-viral pills, enough for three million patients.
The government approved the purchase of 20 million at a cost of VND562 billion (US$28.9 million).
Half of them are now past their expiry date.
The report also accused the ministry of importing raw materials for anti-viral drugs from India and Singapore at a 50 percent higher price than offered by Swiss company Roche.
The products have a shelf life of just three years compared to Roche’s 10 years, it said further.
The ministry permitted four drug firms to import the raw materials without reporting to the Ministry of Finance, it said.
They bought more than 2,000 kilograms from the Indian company Hetero Labs Limited and Singapore’s Mambo Overseas Limited at $12,000 a kilogram but the ministry reported a price of $17,500-$18,000, it said, adding they pocketed the difference of around $6.8 million.
Minister of Health Nguyen Quoc Trieu told Tien Phong newspaper his ministry is awaiting a final decision from Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, but said any wrongdoing that is uncovered must be severely punished.
He was not in office when it happened, he added.
Nguyen Thi Trung Chien, his predecessor, was the minister at that time.
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