HCMC – The Health Ministry and local authorities have been urged to review and investigate the procurement of equipment used for testing Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued the order following a Ministry of Public Security proposal to probe the alleged fraud in the use of funding earmarked for Covid-19 prevention and control efforts, reported Thanh Nien newspaper.
PM Phuc asked the Health Ministry and provincial and municipal governments nationwide to quickly review the purchases of medical supplies, especially ventilators, face masks and coronavirus testing machines, to assist in the fight against Covid-19.
Also, they were told to transfer cases of violations to the investigation agencies, who will review them and impose sanctions in line with prevailing regulations, said the Government leader.
Earlier, it was noted that some localities had bought reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines for Covid-19 testing at inflated prices.
The Ministry of Public Security’s investigators found that the head and other employees of Hanoi Center for Disease Control and Prevention were in collusion with medical equipment companies to inflate the price of the bidding package for the purchase of RT-PCR machines.
