The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam has granted $5,000 to the exhibition titled “Using Safe, Rational and Effective Medicine,” held at the Vietnam National Library on Jan 5. The eight-day event is part of U.S.’s cooperation with Vietnam to promote health systems and encourage the use of safe medicines. “This important event will help achieve our shared goal of helping consumers and medical professionals identify and avoid counterfeit drugs,” U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear said at the opening ceremony. It aims to raise awareness among the medical community and general public about the dangers of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products that can turn a treatable disease into a fatal one. Addressing the event, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Director General Nguyen Van Tinh emphasized the importance of drugs as saying that it is playing a growing role in protection of human health, however not everyone knows how to use medicine safely and effectively. The U.S. has also funded $6,000 to help Vietnam’s National Institute of Drug Quality Control create a website and posters promoting safe medicines. The website, www.thuocantoan.com.vn [1], is already live and the public awareness posters will be distributed to the Institute’s many local branches across Vietnam in Feb 2012. (vietnam.usembassy.gov Jan 5, Lao Dong - Labor Jan 6)
