Vu duc dam

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the committee.

The board asked that favourable conditions continue to be created for the clinical test of COVID-19 vaccines, while plans of production should be put in place in order to quickly produce vaccines once the testing proves successful.

Hailing the Health Ministry for its vaccination efforts and dealing with post-vaccination reactions, the board directed the health, public security, and national defence ministries to continue closely controlling immigration pending a policy regarding “vaccine passports”.

Many at the meeting reiterated that prevention measures continue to play an important role in the current context.

Ministries, agencies, and localities are urged to direct medical stations, schools, lodging facilities, factories, and markets to remain vigilant and seriously follow prevention and control measures.

Vietnam reported 16 imported cases of COVID-19 on the evening of the same day, raising the national count to 2,733.

The new cases include one Indian expert, one American expert and 14 Vietnamese citizens who were sent to quarantine right upon their arrival.

Meanwhile, 2,445 COVID-19 patients have been given the all-clear, and the death toll remains at 35.

Among patients still under treatment, 16 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus once, 18 twice and 18 thrice.

A total 38,743 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are being quarantined across the country.

The Health Ministry continues to urge all people to follow the 5K motto – Khau trang (wearing facemask) – Khu khuan (disinfecting) – Khoang cach (keeping distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (making medical declaration), in order to live safely amid the pandemic.

However, this figure is a bit lower than the Asia Pacific and global average of 65 percent and 64 percent, respectively, according to a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which interviewed 2,800 family business leaders in 87 economies, including 33 from Vietnam.

For 2022, 33 percent of surveyed family business leaders from Vietnam expect quick, aggressive growth, higher than the regional average of 28 percent and the global figure of 21 percent.

Business expansion and technology adoption are the key priorities of Vietnamese family businesses in the coming years, the survey found. While 55 percent said they would focus on creating new products and services, 52 percent mentioned increased use of new technology.

Over half (52 percent) of the Vietnamese respondents expect that the next generation to become majority shareholders within five years’ time, but just 36 percent said they have a formal succession plan in place.

Vietnamese family businesses seemed to lag behind in terms of digital capabilities, with just 30 percent saying they were strong in this area against the global average of 38 percent.

Family businesses are a core economic factor in any country, including Vietnam. The 100 largest family businesses contribute about 25 percent of the country’s GDP, Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), has noted.

Among the 50 best listed companies in Vietnam are many family businesses, including Vietnam’s biggest listed company Vingroup, budget airline Vietjet Air, major education company Thanh Thanh Cong, and Vietnam’s largest ice-cream producer Kido.

As many as 95 percent of Vietnamese enterprises are family businesses and the majority are led by the first generation or the first two generations, he added.

The Ministry of Public Security on Friday arrested and started legal proceedings against Nguyen Quoc Anh, former director of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, and two of his subordinates at the infirmary for “abuse of position and authority” in the alleged price gouging of medical equipment.

The two subordinates are Nguyen Ngoc Hien, former vice director of Bach Mai Hospital, and Trinh Thi Thuan, former chief accountant at the infirmary.

Officers also inspected Anh and Hien’s residence on Friday evening.

While the two men were in office, Bach Mai Hospital purchased a robotic system from BMS Medical Technology Joint Stock Company.

The arrested inflated the purchase price of the system to VND39 billion (US$1.7 million) from its market price of VND7.4 billion ($319,000).

Consequently, patients had to pay VND23 million ($990) per instance of the machine’s use while the rate should have been VND4 million ($172) only.

It is estimated that the arrested appropriated VND10 billion ($430,800) from patients via more than 500 cases of the system’s use from 2017 to 2019.

Previously, the Ministry of Public Security also arrested and began legal proceedings against Pham Duc Tuan, chairman and director of BMS, Ngo Thi Thu Huyen, BMS deputy director, and Tran Le Hoang, an appraiser of VFS JSC — which had been hired by Bach Mai Hospital to appraise the robotic system, for their involvement in the case with the charge of “fraud and appropriation of property.”

Hoang is now under home arrest.

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