People buy medicines at a pharmacy in Hanoi. (Photo: congly.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister
Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked Ministry of Health to check the veracity of a
newspaper report stating that Vietnam ranks the top in the world in
.
The report, published in Vietnam Law newspaper
on December 2, quotes the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has listed Vietnam
among the countries with the highest antibiotic-resistant infections. The
newspaper states that antibiotics can be purchased easily over the counter at
pharmacies across the nation without the legally required
prescription, which has led to antibiotic resistance among the populace.
Drug resistance also means that patients will
have to spend more money on new drugs for treatment, the newspaper said.
The prime minister has asked the ministry check
the information and report to him before December 15.
By 2050, resistance to antibiotics could lead to the deaths of ten million
people a year globally, according to WHO.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
