Vietnam Prime Minister Calls for Tighter Control of Medicine and Medical Equipment Costs

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has called for tighter control of medicine and medical equipment prices from the point of production to the patient, saying the health system must eliminate unnecessary costs and loopholes.

Hung chaired a meeting with the Ministry of Health and other agencies on a draft law amending several health-related laws. The bill is scheduled for submission to the National Assembly during its second session in October 2026, with particular attention to the management and distribution of medicines and medical equipment, as well as medical examinations and treatment.

The prime minister said practical feedback had exposed problems in both regulations and enforcement. He urged the Health Ministry to resolve them comprehensively, creating a system that is more open and transparent while maintaining control. The government’s priorities, he said, should include reducing intermediaries, lowering selling prices and preventing profiteering and other violations.

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The life and health of patients, and the interests of the people, must come first.

“The life and health of patients, and the interests of the people, must come first,” Hung said. “Medical facilities must not lack equipment, people must not lack medicines because of procedural obstacles, officials must not fear responsibility and refuse to make decisions, and mechanisms must not be exploited for personal gain.”

Hung proposed tracking prices through the entire chain, from manufacturers, suppliers and border gates to companies, hospitals and patients, using connected data systems. Authorities should publish prices for each type of medicine and equipment and establish reasonable controls on profit margins, including stronger requirements to list prices.

He also called for digitalizing the full supply chain, encouraging modern retail chains to contract directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers, and reforming procurement through centralized national tenders or direct price negotiations. The meeting also discussed modern distribution infrastructure and centralized pharmaceutical logistics centers. The article ends while describing plans to connect manufacturers, import warehouses, distributors and retail pharmacies through national databases.

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Medical facilities must not lack equipment, people must not lack medicines because of procedural obstacles, officials must not fear responsibility and refuse to make decisions, and mechanisms must not be exploited for personal gain.