Hanoi (VNA) - The supply, price and use of herbal medicines willbe tightened by strengthening policies on quality assessment at medicalfacilities, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has stressed. 

Speaking at a recent conference, Tien said that for a long time, prices ofmedicines in Vietnam have been higher than in other regional countries, puttinga huge burden on the social insurance fund.

The difference in prices of traditional herbal medicines reflects thedistinguished quality of medicinal plants, according to Tran Van On, head ofthe Department of Botany under Hanoi University of Pharmacy. Since Vietnam hasa rich biodiversity, one herbal species includes different types with varioussizes.

“Consumers may buy poor-quality herbal medicines at high prices if we do notset a common standard for these products,” said On.

With the aim of addressing the issue, he recommended the Ministry of Health(MoH) to carry out a comprehensive review of herbal medicines and establish astandard based on quality and types of herbal plants. The standard will help toset prices at drug biddings in the market, benefiting customers.

On the other hand, Nguyen Ta Tinh, head of the Department of Medicines andMedical Supplies under Vietnam Social Security (VSS), told Vietnam NewsAgency that there was a vast range in prices of herbal medicines.Therefore, in the near future, the agency in collaboration with MoH willevaluate and adjust prices of these products.

“In reality, it is impossible to have a huge difference in prices of herbalmedicines supplied by different distributors,” he said.

To avoid wastage of the social insurance fund, VSS and the Department ofTraditional Medicine Management under MoH will collaborate to work towardssolutions to pricing management.

Besides, they call for cooperation of Customs and Market Surveillance Agency inchecking herbal medicines’ certificates of origin and quality as well as of MoHin post-investigating medical facilities.

According to the Department of Traditional Medicine Management, there is noregulation on price declaration of herbal plants and medicines as they dependheavily on crops and imports. The price range and quality of these productsdiffer among localities.

The department, therefore, sets reference prices of herbal medicines formedical facilities, helping them to approach high qualities of products atreasonable prices.

In 2013, then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved a plan to develop theherbal medicine sector by 2020, creating a solid foundation for applyinghigh-tech activities to accelerate the industry in Vietnam.

To that point, Vietnamese herbal medicines are expected to be competitive inregional and world markets.-VNA