HCMC – Nguyen Ngoc Chon, director of the Tien Giang Province Center for Disease Control (CDC), has been removed from all his Party posts over allegations of receiving gifts from Covid test kit supplier Viet A Technology Corporation without reporting to authorities and turning in the gifts in line with the law.
Besides Chon, the provincial Party Committee’s Inspection Commission imposed the same punishment on his three subordinates at Tien Giang CDC.
Also, the CDC’s Party Committee was reprimanded for shortcomings found in some bidding packages, reported the local media.
According to the Inspection Commission, upon being notified of some provincial CDCs getting involved in the Viet A Covid test kit price gouging case, the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang had called on those receiving gifts from this company to make truthful declarations and turn in the gifts. However, Chon and his three subordinates failed to do so.
Up to now, the local authorities have yet to reveal the total amount and value of gifts that Viet A had given to the Tien Giang CDC officials.
The provincial Inspectorate in May this year concluded that 43 units in Tien Giang had purchased Covid medical supplies valued over VND800 billion via 573 bidding packages between 2020 and 2021. Of them, a bidding package of the Viet A company is reportedly worth over VND19.4 billion.
Regarding the provincial medical sector’s shortcomings linked to the procurement of Covid test kits and medical supplies during the pandemic, the provincial Health Department’s director Tran Thanh Thao was also reprimanded.
