Faced with the situation of counterfeit and poor quality goods still complicated in the health sector, the working group of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, through reviewing and inspecting on the field, recorded many groups of common violations that need to be focused on handling.
Notable among them is the situation of cosmetic business not ensuring quality, not being safe for users; products containing banned substances or exceeding the permitted concentration and content limit.
In addition, there are violations related to origin and provenance such as trading in cosmetics of unknown origin and smuggled goods; circulating cosmetics without a product declaration receipt number; producing cosmetics without a qualified certificate.
Some establishments still sell drugs when they do not meet the prescribed conditions, or sell pre-processed medicinal herbs but do not ensure quality standards.
To prevent and gradually repel these acts, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has closely coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh City Police, Market Management forces and local authorities at all levels, organizing regular and surprise inspections at many facilities.
At the same time, the health sector proactively receives and processes information on violations through many channels such as the "Online Health" application, feedback from medical examination and treatment facilities, press information and the Department's hotline.
As a result of the recent peak period, the authorities inspected 144 establishments and issued 140 decisions to sanction administrative violations, with a total fine of more than 6.3 billion VND. In particular, acts related to smuggling, counterfeit goods and trade fraud have been fined more than 400 million VND.
In the face of the situation where cosmetics of unknown origin, origin and smuggled cosmetics are still circulating on the market, the Department of Health recommends that consumers be cautious, prioritize choosing products with clear origins, legal circulation, and not use smuggled or hand-carried goods to protect their health and legitimate rights.
The Department of Health also stated that violators are tending to shift their activities from the traditional environment to e-commerce. Therefore, strengthening control of transportation activities, especially through postal businesses, is an urgent requirement.
In the coming time, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health will continue to recommend the Ministry of Health to complete the legal framework, strengthen management tools and promote the application of information technology to monitor early and remotely, contributing to improving the effectiveness of counterfeit goods prevention and control in the health sector.
