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| A child in southern Binh Duong Province is vaccinated. Health departments in localities have been asked to tighten immunisation services management after several violations were discovered. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc |
HCM CITY(VNS)— The Ministry of Health has told health departments and units under its supervision to improve their management of immunisation services after a number of violations were discovered recently.
Deputy Ministry of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that any health unit found violating regulations would face suspension.
The ministry has also told local authorities to investigate and strictly discipline individuals or health units that commit violations.
Hospitals and medical units around the country were also told to publicise their telephone numbers so that consumers could call about problems related to immunisation.
In an attempt to deal with violations in a timely manner, the ministry said it planned to carry out inspections on practices related to the National Expanded Programme of Immunisation and fee-based immunisation services.
On May 20, a 16-year-old boy in central Phu Yen Province's Tuy Hoa City was vaccinated against measles, rubella and mumps with an expired Trivivac vaccine.
Initial investigations found that the city's Centre for Preventive Medicine had used three tubes that had expiry dates of April 30.
Dr. Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Preventive Medicine Department, said that this was a serious violation of immunisation regulations and that violators would be strictly punished. The case is still under investigation.
In addition, on May 14, the Ha Noi Centre for Preventive Medicine dismissed a health worker, Bui Thi Phuong Hoa, for injecting a five-month-old baby with only half of a 0.5-ml Pentaxim vaccine, and keeping the rest for herself.
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