The Politburo and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee have decided to issue disciplinary warnings against the Party delegation at the Ministry of Public Health in the 2016-2021 tenure, and former Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.
The decision was made at a meeting of the Politburo and the Secretariat chaired by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi on November 19.
The Politburo and the Secretariat said the Party delegation at the Health Ministry had violated the Party’s operational principles and working regulations of Party delegations, showed a lack of responsibility and relaxed its leadership, resulting in the Health Ministry, the Drug Administration, many medical establishments and individuals violating the Party’s rules and State laws on licensing the import and purchase of drugs and medical equipment, and setting up medical joint ventures and cooperation.
Those violations have caused serious consequences along with losses and waste of the State’s money and assets, and damage to the health insurance fund, thus affecting the prestige of Party organisations and the health sector.
For Tien, the Politburo and the Secretariat said in her capacity as Secretary of the Party delegation, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Health Ministry, and Minister of Health, she had to bear the main responsibility and a leader's responsibility for the violations and wrongdoings committed by the Party delegation to the ministry in the 2016-2021 tenure, and the Standing Board of the ministry's Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure.
Tien was also dismissed from the position of head of the Board of Healthcare Services for Senior Officials.
At the meeting, the Politburo also decided disciplinary measures against Truong Quoc Cuong, member of the Party delegation at the Health Ministry, Deputy Health Minister (from November 21, 2016 till now), and Secretary of the Party Committee and head of the Drug Administration in the 2010-2015 and 2015-2020 terms.
The Politburo and the Secretariat said Cuong shared the responsibility for violations and wrongdoings of the Health Ministry’s Party delegation in the 2016-2021 tenure. He himself violated the Party's principles and regulations, relaxed leadership and neglected supervision resulting in many law violations in licensing medicines, causing very serious consequences. He was also subjected to criminal prosecution. Therefore, he was expelled from the Party.
The Politburo reprimanded the Party delegation at the People’s Committee of the northern province of Ha Nam for 2016-2021 tenure, and issued a warning against Nguyen Xuan Dong, former Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, former Secretary of the Party delegation and former Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee in the same tenure.
Meanwhile, Dinh Van An, member of the provincial Party Committee for 2015-2020 tenure, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade (from November 2018 till September 2020), was dismissed from the position of member of the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee for 2020-2025 tenure.
