Still lax management

(Baonghean) -While urban areas are aiming to build pharmacies that meet GPP standards (pharmacy owners must have a pharmacy practice certificate and must be present at the store during operating hours; drug sales staff must have a pharmacy degree; the sales area must be at least 10 square meters...), in rural markets, with only about a dozen types of medicine displayed on a wooden table, a styrofoam box or a plastic sheet spread on the ground, a "pharmacy" can operate. It is worth mentioning that this drug sale is taking place openly, but there is no sign of inspection, control, or market management forces to punish this illegal drug trading.

Present at Do market - Nam Cuong commune (Nam Dan), we were surprised to see modern medicine being sold everywhere next to vegetables, food and clothes. When asked, we learned that the business of medicine at this market has been going on for a long time and is as "normal" as buying and selling vegetables or fish. The buyer only needs to tell us about the illness and the seller will immediately give the medicine and give brief instructions on how to use it. At this market, we counted 4 "3 no" medicine stalls (no business license, no price list, no doctor's prescription) selling openly. Posing as a patient, going to the "medicine stall" of a middle-aged female shop owner to buy medicine for fever, cough with phlegm - without asking more about the buyer's symptoms or physical condition, the shop owner quickly packed 3 types of medicine including 10 powder packets and a bottle of syrup. When asked when to take this medicine, the owner instructed: "It's okay to take it before or after meals. Just follow the instructions printed on the package. If you don't feel better, come back here next time and I'll change the medicine for you"...

Unlicensed pharmacies are openly sold at Do market.
- Nam Cuong commune (Nam Dan).

Most of the traders in this item are usually small traders with many years of experience in drug trading, few have received specialized training. Most of the drugs in the market are floating goods, of unknown origin, and difficult to verify in terms of quality. However, due to the psychology of people wanting to buy cheap and convenient drugs when going to the market, the "3 no" drug stalls are still operating well. When asked why she did not go to the commune health station for examination and purchase of medicine, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung (Hamlet 9, Nam Trung Commune, Nam Dan District) said: "My house is near the market, so whenever someone in the family has a minor illness, I stop by the market to buy medicine for convenience; moreover, the medicine here is always a few prices cheaper than at the station and pharmacy."

Along with modern medicine, traditional Vietnamese medicine, oriental medicine with all kinds of roots, tubers, fruits are also sold quite a lot at the rural markets, often wrapped in newspapers, plastic bags and advertised as traditional medicine or medicine of the Muong, Tay people... Right at the gate of Vuc market - Hung Xa commune (Hung Nguyen), we also came across a middle-aged man displaying many large and small packages of medicine and dark-colored water bottles on a tarp hastily spread on the ground, his mouth constantly shouting: "Only 20 thousand VND a bottle, adults, children with fever, dry cough, cough with phlegm, buy it now and drink it will stop the cough immediately..., guaranteed if it doesn't work, bring it here and I will pay double". Hearing that, many people going to the market also rushed in to look, buy it to try. Just a glance is enough to see that these bottles and packages do not have any lines stating the ingredients, place of manufacture or expiration date. When this group of customers finished buying the cough medicine, the herbalist continued to advertise and sell many different types of medicine, each made according to a traditional recipe with the ability to cure all diseases, from stomach pain, liver, kidney to headaches, bone and joint pain...

From the above reality, through discussion with a functional department leader of the Department of Health, it is known that: Medicine is considered a double-edged sword, it can save people but can also have the opposite effect. Improper treatment with modern medicine will have side effects, disable the immune system, and can also lead to drug resistance, causing disadvantages for medical examination and treatment. According to regulations, only pharmacies and drug stores with a certificate of eligibility to practice pharmacy issued by the Department of Health are allowed to retail modern medicine. The existence of illegal drug sales as above will create conditions for counterfeit drugs, drugs of unknown origin, and drugs of poor quality to penetrate the market. The sellers themselves, due to lack of professional qualifications, will not have the knowledge to instruct patients on how to use the medicine. The reason for the above situation is that the health departments and medical centers of districts lack pharmaceutical staff, there are almost no university pharmacists working in the area; The coordination of inspection and supervision by the commune government, market management board and local health agencies is not yet synchronized; in addition, the educational level of a part of the population is still low. To solve this situation, there needs to be a drastic intervention of the authorities in both propaganda and handling; order must be quickly restored and strict management of organizations and individuals practicing medicine and pharmacy.

Ngoc Anh